Beyond The Stables
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: All Weiss Schnee ever wanted to do was ride the horses of her family business, but her strict father refuses to allow it. When her favorite horse is put in jeopardy, can Weiss save the animal with the help of an energetic stablehand, or will all her dreams come crashing down in front of her? [Equestrian AU].
1. The Stablehand

**Finally, it's time for my Equestrian AU!**

 **Now let me just say a few things right off the bat. One is that I have no real experience with riding/caring for horses, so please excuse any inconsistencies you may see in this story in those regards.**

 **Secondly, I wrote this over half a year ago, and before we knew Winter's canon personality. As I've gone over and revised this fic, I've tried my best to tweak what I've written to get her character right.**

 **Thirdly, this entire concept started as just a few ideas thrown around between friends, and I just so happened to make it into a full-fledged fic. Just please understand it might not be of the _highest_ quality, though.**

 **With all that said, please enjoy this new AU and fic!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Beyond The Stables

Chapter 1. The Stablehand

Vale was composed of several blocks' worth of business buildings, marketplaces, schools, and a police station – all the essentials for a relatively small, rural town.

On the outskirts to the east side of town was a vast expanse of open farmland and fields, over one hundred acres of it. All of which belonged to a single family.

Weiss' father had inherited the ranch from his father, a family tradition going back several generations now. It had started out as a farm in old times, complete with fields of wheat and crops to harvest, as well as pigs, cows, and sheep.

But her great-grandfather's generation had encountered tough financial times, demanding he sell all of his livestock. However, he'd kept the horses, and decided to breed his best ones, focusing on producing the fastest race horses possible.

His actions in selling the other animals had granted him a fine fortune, and selling his best horses to the derbies hadn't hurt either. It had undoubtedly ensured his family's wealth for generations to come.

Now, Weiss' nuclear family ran a farm that was meant exclusively for horses.

Their business had expanded over the years, selling, trading, and buying various horses with other persons in this field. They owned about forty horses at the present time, half of which were used for breeding race horses, and the other half of which were used for riding lessons.

Weiss' father had started his own equestrian school about ten years ago, and many local teenagers and young adults came by to pay for lessons on a weekly basis. He had hired several instructors to teach said lessons, and many stablehands were also on the premises.

The corrals were lined by the stables, with miles of fences stretched around various fields and pastures to let the animals run freely.

The Schnee mansion overlooked all of the property, and Weiss could see the riding lessons from the window in her room right beside her desk.

She'd always wanted to ride. Her father could ride, and so had every other adult in her family.

But Weiss wasn't allowed to.

Her father demanded she focus on her studies, get into a good college, and learn the business aspects of the family ranch.

Weiss had argued with him many times that while the business was important, it was _just_ as important to learn about the horses themselves.

She wanted to ride them more than just the pony rides she'd been on a few times as a child. She wanted to learn how to care for them, how to fasten a saddle on their backs and reins on their heads. She wanted to be hands-on with the animals, wanted to know how to take care of them if one got injured, wanted to learn how to brush them...

But her father had her entire life planned out for her, it seemed.

Her elder sister Winter was allowed to do everything Weiss ever wanted with the horses simply _because_ she was older, and therefore got a privilege of sorts.

But being the youngest of the two, Weiss was forced to learn the ropes of the business, the finances, and everything else she had little interest in.

Every day, she'd come up to her room from her home-schooling lessons. She'd sit down at her desk and begin on her assignments with vigilance.

But it was never long before she'd get distracted by the corral below, where she could see the trainers teaching groups of local teens how to ride. Weiss would've gladly paid extra for such lessons if her father would have allowed her to participate, but that wasn't the case.

Weiss didn't think it ever would be.

Whenever she finished her work, she tended to sit at the window and gaze down, watching the horses jump over small hurdles and lap the course. She was mesmerized by the ways they moved, strong, sleek muscles rolling beneath taut, pristine fur.

Most of the horses were chestnut or other shades of brown.

But there was one stallion who was purely white - mane, tail and all.

His name was Zuri, and he was Weiss' favorite.

Her father had purchased him from a buyer when he was a foal, and he had soon grown into a fine yearling. He had been purchased to be one of the riding horses, not to be bred for producing racing offspring.

But Zuri had a nasty habit of throwing off saddles every now and again, and occasionally, he would buck whenever someone tried to ride him. He hadn't caused any injuries or damages yet, but Weiss feared it was only a matter of time; once he did cause harm, her father would have no choice but to re-sell him.

Weiss wanted to ride Zuri just one time, but she knew it wasn't something she'd be allowed to do.

She had to _study_ , after all. She wasn't permitted to become a jockey or even just an amateur rider.

She was forced to live life behind a desk as quite literally _everyone_ else around her was able to live _her_ dream.

It was more than a little upsetting, more than a little stressful. She cried about it often, always in the solace of her own room, her mind harboring thoughts such as, _I can't believe I'm going to be the only one to grow up on this property who's never_ once _ridden a horse._

It was very disheartening, especially since riding had been her dream from a very young age.

But her father had made it very clear to her that Weiss' own dreams didn't matter.

Since she couldn't ride them, she would observe the horses from her window every afternoon after her lessons, and if she finished her work early, she'd sometimes venture downstairs and out the mansion's back doors. She'd walk the five minutes it took to get to the stables, and then to the corral to where the riding students were training and having lessons.

Weiss would lean herself onto one of the fences, listen with keen interest to the instructors' words, and watch the animals with wonder in her eyes.

The horses never ceased to amaze her, even after eighteen years. She'd seen them jump a million times before, seen them trot and gallop and prance about, but she never got sick of it.

Every horse was unique and had its own way of moving that was slightly different from the others around it. She loved watching them move, loved watching them toss their heads and whinny, loved watching them paw at the dust to make a unique mark.

She envied the riders, and was mostly jealous of the chemistry they each had built up with their horses.

The students who came for daily or weekly lessons often chose their favorite horses to ride. Sometimes they were required to swap steeds, simply in order to understand different animals better.

But it was when they were with their favorite animals when they all worked best, both horse and rider. A particularly skilled pair could best even the toughest course in record time if they had the right connection with one another.

Weiss wanted that. She wanted to feel that connection to a horse someday.

She always thought that, perhaps after she'd made her father happy and gotten the degree he'd wanted her to get, maybe then he would let her ride.

But that was a long way off, and Weiss was a bit of an impatient girl, and had been for eighteen years already.

She could only hold off for so long.

* * *

It was one evening after a particularly harsh day when Weiss came to her decision.

She'd just been at her business, language, and mathematics lessons all day, and had barely even gotten a moment to breathe in between her studies and completing her homework assignments. She'd closed the door to her room hours ago in a silent plea for privacy and had even skipped supper in order to complete her work in a timely fashion.

It was nearly midnight at present, and all of the staff and jockeys had gone home hours ago. The horses had been put back into their paddocks, and Weiss hadn't even gotten to spare a second to see them at all today due to her work.

She put all of her papers aside on her desk – completed.

With a long sigh, she wiped her sleeve over her face, resting her elbows on her desk and her face in her hands. She'd have to shower in the morning, as she hadn't even had the time to take her hair out of its ponytail yet today. The pants at her waist seemed loose, and her stomach growled for something to satiate it.

The only comfort was the cool, springtime breeze that slipped in through the open window, quiet and calming and carrying the presence of night. It was tranquil outside, and dark, save from the few lights that lit up the paddocks every dozen or so feet. Nearby places, such as the first aid unit's trailer and the worker's cabin, also had lights on outside, as they always did in case their services were required at any point in time.

In addition to all of those things, there were several guards with flashlights patrolling the premises at all hours of the nights, ensuring the safety and health of the horses and their equipment from degenerate teenagers.

Years ago, there had been an incident when a group of rambunctious boys had broken in one night to harass the horses and made an effort to steal various saddles and crops to sell for profit. But they had swiftly been apprehended and charged, and there hadn't been such an incident since.

Which was why Weiss didn't need to think twice about grabbing her jacket and pulling it on over her blouse.

She slipped out of her room and headed down the stairs, knowing her father and sister were already in their rooms and likely sleeping.

Weiss paused at the kitchen and found herself a granola bar and a bottle of water to satisfy her hunger with. She also grabbed a carrot from the refrigerator; they had buckets of food specifically for the horses in a feeding station to either side of the paddocks, but Weiss didn't have the energy to make such a trip at this hour.

She stuffed the carrot into her pants pocket and took a gulp of the water, making quick work of the granola bar before tossing away the wrapper in the trash.

There were a few maids up at this hour, and Weiss greeted them as she passed by.

"Why, Ms. Schnee," they said. "Where are you going at such an hour?"

"Just for a walk," she informed them. "I'd like to clear my head."

The maids nodded.

"Please enjoy yourself, and hurry back."

Weiss flashed them a smile before slipping out the back doors of the mansion.

Her boots scraped over the dust trail of earth that led a path down to the corral and the stables beside it. Her vision was guided by the few scattered lights around the property as well as the silver moonlight from above.

The night was cool, still possessing remnants from the recently-finished winter. But the chill was refreshing and even welcoming to the girl who had spent the past two days and nights locked away in a stuffy mansion.

Weiss took her time, walking slowly as she savored every minute.

Despite the hour, she wasn't all that tired – the thoughts of what she planned to do gave her a boost in energy.

She'd never snuck out at night before; she'd never suffered through such a stressful day before that gave her the desire to do so. So it was a bit frightening and a bit thrilling all at once.

And yet, her father had never officially forbidden her from doing such a thing. She was allowed to wander around during the daytime hours so long as she'd finished her work, so why not at night?

As she walked, she passed several guards who politely inquired as to her intentions.

"I'm simply taking a walk," she told them, too. "I want to clear my head."

She was their boss' youngest daughter, and presumably their future boss, and they had no qualms with letting her do as she pleased.

Weiss soon made it to the corral where riding lessons were taught.

During the daytime, it was filled with horses and riders along with jumps and hurdles for them to conquer. But now it was quiet, empty, as though it were resting in preparation for another busy day tomorrow.

It was a peaceful night, the silence interrupted only occasionally by the distant songs of crickets, or the snort of a stirring horse.

She followed the latter sounds, heading for the stables and slipping through the doorway with ease. The scents of manure and hay instantly collided with her nostrils and filled her lungs, but it was nothing she wasn't used to.

There were horses to either side of her, all of which had large pens where the animals could comfortably turn around and move about. Most of them were asleep where they stood, though her presence roused a few of them, confused as to why a human would be here at this hour of the night. Some nickered at her and nosed their food trays, but she could only smile sheepishly and refuse them.

"Sorry. Not until dawn."

Of course, the carrot in her pocket _was_ intended for one horse in particular.

Zuri's stable was near the center of them all, and Weiss paused outside of it, peering in.

The young stallion was asleep, his tail flicking on occasion to swat away insects.

Weiss clicked her tongue softly at him, watching as those long, dark eyelashes lifted as he roused himself. He could smell the carrot even before Weiss revealed it, and he gave a loud, excited whinny.

"Oh, shh!" Weiss quickly flailed her hands in an effort to silence him; if a guard walked in on her now, she'd have a _lot_ of explaining to do.

But it wasn't a guard who would find her...

. . .

Ruby Rose worked as a stablehand for the Schnee's horse ranch.

She'd landed this job just two years ago, when debt had struck her family hard, forcing every member – parents and daughters – to go out job-hunting.

Ruby had gotten this job simply because Mr. Schnee had been hiring at the time, and the only reason she'd _kept_ the job was because she'd gotten good at it. He probably didn't even know her name, but he always saw her working and doing her job, so at the end of every month, she always received her paycheck fair and square. She would venture home on her first day off after being paid to give the money to her parents, and would only stay at home for a few days before returning to the ranch.

The Schnee ranch had its own cabin for stablehands and workers to sleep in if they so desired or had nowhere else to go.

Truthfully, this place was everything Ruby could ever ask for. Spending the nights and days here more often than she did at her own home ensured using less electricity and wasting less of her parents' money on food and water. They fed her three meals a day at the ranch simply because Mr. Schnee could afford to pay for meals for his workers who needed it.

But rather than the worker's cabin, Ruby often slept in the stables.

She'd started doing this on a whim about a year ago, simply because the cabin got too crowded. She'd only sleep there every other season, in the extreme cold of winter or the extreme heat of summer.

But during spring and fall nights when the air was a comfortable mixture of cool and warm, she'd sleep in the stables in a vacant horse pen, using bails of hay as her mattress. She did have a small blanket, however, and she used that as a pillow or cover when necessary.

Her changes of clothes and other supplies were back in her cabin, and in the mornings she'd always shower and change and do her laundry there.

But she enjoyed the nights out here, alone with the horses she worked with every day.

Plus, her presence was a bit of added security, and she liked the idea of having someone here with the animals even at night.

She'd grown quite close to the horses over the months since she'd arrived here, and Ruby was proud to think she might be closer to them than anyone else. After all, no one else slept out here in the stables like she did.

On the present night, she'd only been asleep for about an hour, slumbering atop her bed of hay, her soft red blanket just beneath her cheek to keep prickling straws away from her skin.

It was a seemingly-displaced whinny that had her eyes flying open, pools of silver like the moonlight instantly alert. She stood swiftly, glancing around and focusing for a moment to listen.

The light bulbs in the main walkway of the stables remained on all night, so she didn't bother grabbing her flashlight. But she did pick up one of the riding crops from a nearby hook on the wall. She didn't know what she could do against an intruder that the guards themselves couldn't do, but if push came to shove, Ruby would fight if she had to. She'd do anything to defend these horses and keep them safe.

With great caution, she stepped out of the pen and peered down the stables. Almost instantly, she found the source of the commotion.

About a dozen yards away stood a figure in front of one of the stables. The person was standing in a shadowed section, so Ruby couldn't make them out very well.

But she _could_ see that they were reaching into one of the pens, muttering in a low voice to whichever horse it was.

Ruby knew right away it was Zuri's pen.

She could see why someone might want to kidnap the pure-white stallion, but she had to question the thief's intelligence.

 _They might've been able to sneak in past the guards somehow, but do they really think they'll get out of here unnoticed with a_ horse _?_

Or perhaps they were merely trying to steal equipment or feed to re-sell?

Either way, Ruby wasn't going to allow it.

Crop in hand, she treaded quietly as she neared the other person.

She could tell that the door to the horse's pen had been opened, meaning this person must've known where the keys had been hidden.

The person was reaching inside, and Ruby felt a shiver go up her spine. Maybe they weren't trying to steal the stallion, but perhaps poison him or worse. They'd never had someone from a competing stable go _that_ far before.

With the horrifying thoughts in mind, Ruby didn't waste another second. She charged forward, skidding to a halt just behind the other person.

"Hey!" she shouted, crop at the ready. "What do you think you're doing?!"

The other person jumped and shrieked instantly, informing Ruby they were female. She'd had a hand on the stallion's muzzle until Ruby had interjected, and the stablehand's sudden presence and shouting startled the animal.

He snorted and jerked forward, knocking his head into the other girl and sending her flying backward onto the floor with a gasp and a thud. She'd fallen into a swath of light, and Ruby instantly realized this was no crook or person of questionable background.

It was none other than her own boss' daughter.

She'd never formally met her before, but Ruby knew her name all the same.

"M-Miss, Weiss?!"

The white-haired girl moaned where she'd fallen, putting a hand to her head in pain. The door to the pen was still ajar, and Zuri snorted again, clearly flustered.

Agitated, the stallion reared up slightly, his two massive front hooves aimed directly at Weiss.

"Whoa!"

Ruby quickly jumped in front of him, putting her arms up in front of his eyes to throw off his aim. Luckily, his hooves came down on solid ground rather than Weiss' shins, missing her by mere inches.

Ruby clicked her tongue and spoke softly to him.

"Hey, hey big guy. It's okay. Sorry about all the commotion. It's okay."

Glancing down, she noticed a carrot on the floor, likely brought in and dropped by Weiss just a minute ago when he'd lunged at her. Ruby quickly scooped it up and coaxed the stallion back into his pen with it.

"There. 'Atta boy."

The horse snorted, but reached his muzzle forward towards the end of the vegetable, his dark lips puckering as Ruby let him have it. As he chewed away, she closed the door and locked it, hanging up the key on a hidden hook above the rim of the doorframe.

Ruby exhaled, relieved that the horse wasn't in any danger.

But there was someone else who might've been.

"Ahhh! M-Miss Weiss!"

Ruby just seemed to remember the other girl present with her, lying on her back winded and frazzled. Ruby dropped her crop and knelt down beside her, reaching out to help her sit up.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she cried. "Are you alright?"

Weiss felt herself being straightened up by the stablehand girl. She coughed several times, bumping a fist to her chest to regain her bearings.

Ruby could feel her shaking a little, understandable considering she'd nearly just been trampled. Ruby knew she was to blame for it. Weiss was still gasping, and the stablehand bit her lip nervously.

"Sh-Should I take you to the first aid unit's trailer?" she fretted.

Weiss snorted and shook her head.

"No... I'm fine..."

Besides, she didn't want to be making any more of a fuss than she already had. If her father found out, there'd definitely be shouting, and Weiss would rather avoid that if at all possible.

Weiss appreciated the supportive hand on her back, but the other one that had come to rest atop her thigh wasn't necessary.

With a huff, she pushed herself up, staggering to her feet.

Ruby grabbed her crop and quickly followed suit.

"M-Miss Weiss," she began. "I'm so sorry-"

"First of all," Weiss snapped. "What's with that?"

"Uh, p-pardon?"

"You don't need the 'Miss', for heaven's sake. Just call me Weiss."

"Uh, o-okay... Weiss..." Ruby mumbled. "Sorry, y-you're the boss' daughter, s-so I just-"

"Second of all, what are you doing here at such an hour of the night?" Weiss demanded. "Shouldn't you be asleep in the worker's cabin?"

Ruby kicked a foot sheepishly on the floor.

"I like sleeping in the stables," she confessed. "I mean, you dad never said that I couldn't so... when it's not too hot or too cold, that's what I do."

"That's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Ruby flinched at Weiss' harsh tone and words, and she shrunk back a pace. Weiss continued sternly.

"I've seen you around before and I've got to wonder if you're even old enough to be working here."

"I-I'm seventeen, ma'am!" Ruby squeaked. "I started when I'd just turned fifteen, which was the minimal age requirement to work here!"

Weiss huffed again.

"I see..." She dusted off her clothes a bit and fixed her knotted hair, then crossed her arms over her chest, glaring a bit down at Ruby.

The brunette was about to apologize again and beg to be able to keep her job. But she was surprised to hear Weiss speaking rather softly now.

"You're a good person to have around here," she said. "It's quite clear how good you are with the horses, as you just demonstrated. And you even brought a weapon to confront me."

"A-Ah!" Ruby hid the crop behind her back. "I-I'm sorry!"

"Well, you didn't end up hitting me with it, so it's fine."

Ruby gulped.

"S-So... you won't tell you dad to fire me?" she asked hopefully.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Now why in the world would I ever do that? You just displayed quite a bit of heroism. It's clear you're willing to defend my father's horses with your life, even if you _are_ a bit reckless. But I suppose that's a part of your nature and it can't be helped. You prevented Zuri from going into a fit and even communicated with him to calm him down. That's quite an admirable skill."

Ruby blinked, a little dumbfounded.

"You... r-really think so?"

"Of course! Or else I wouldn't have said it!"

"Oh! Right," Ruby chuckled. "So, Miss- uh, no, I mean Weiss... Why were you out here so late at night? Did you need something?"

She thought Weiss might have been about to smile, but Ruby's question erased that curve to her lips.

"No reason," she said curtly. "I merely wanted to go for a walk. I brought a carrot along to feed Zuri because I wanted to visit him. That's all."

Ruby had half a mind to ask why Weiss had decided to open the door rather than just feed the stallion through the small window if that was the case, but she didn't press any further questions on the matter.

"So then, are you sure you're not hurt? You didn't hit your head when you fell?"

"It's nothing of concern," Weiss reassured her stiffly.

"But-"

"I said it's nothing," Weiss snapped.

"Right! Sorry."

The older girl looked her over, then sighed.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I'm just..."

 _A bit stressed..._

She didn't need to speak the words for Ruby to be able to interpret them.

"I get it," she said. "I guess it's not easy being Mr. Schnee's daughter, right?"

Weiss said nothing, not confirming nor denying her words. Ruby smiled faintly and went on.

"Well then, I hope you have a good rest of the night, Weiss."

The white-haired girl sighed, then offered the faintest of nods.

"You, too. Keep up the good work."

Weiss turned away from the horses and the girl, heading back the way she'd come. She heard the brunette following after her, likely returning to her sleeping area. With a sudden realization, Weiss paused and called softly out to her.

"I don't believe I caught your name."

The girl perked up and looked back at her with a grin.

"It's Ruby!"

Weiss nodded once; somehow, the name was perfectly fitting for her.

"Ruby... Thank you for your assistance tonight."

"Y-Yeah!" Ruby said. "No problem at all!"

Weiss dipped her head to the girl, then turned away.

Tonight hadn't exactly gone as planned, and now she knew she'd have one more person to slip by unnoticed if she wanted to go through with her plans of night-riding.

But that wouldn't stop her from trying.

Nothing would.

* * *

 **A/N: Off to a good start, wouldn't you say?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Lessons At Lunchtime

**Here's chapter 2! We'll find out a bit about Winter and the Schnee sisters' situation!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on** **P-a-t-r-e-o-n** **as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 2. Lessons At Lunchtime

When she awoke the next morning, the first thing Weiss felt was mortification due to last night's events.

Everything came rushing back to her, and she moaned in embarrassment, flipping herself over and burying her face into the pillow. She could feel a dull pain in her back, the result of when she'd fallen to the stable floor, no doubt.

 _There's no way I'll be able to try again tonight..._

With a sigh, she laid there for a few more minutes, planning out her next move in her head.

She'd wait a few more nights before making another attempt at night-riding. This way, she'd give her body time to stop aching, and she'd avoid too much suspicion from the maids, guards, and the stablehand.

Therefore, that day, Weiss kept to her usual routine.

She got dressed and went down to the kitchen for breakfast with her family, then readied herself for her home-schooling lessons.

It was a beautiful spring day, but Weiss spent it inside as per usual.

At least until her lunchtime hour, during which she immediately grabbed herself a sandwich, and a bottle of water, and rushed outside to breathe.

It was the same scents as always, horses and hay and soil, but she loved it.

She walked down the same path she'd taken the night before, now bathed in bright sunlight, taking an occasional bite out of her sandwich as she went.

She passed by several of her father's workers, and as soon as she got to the corral where riding lessons were held, she paused to lean against the fence once more.

She observed as per usual, listening to the instructor explaining the purpose of today's session. A course had been set up, and the students were to control their horses and complete it in a certain way.

Weiss watched as they went one by one, first a chestnut mare, then a buckskin, a black stallion, and a speckled-grey quarter horse. She admired the shine on their pelts, the graceful movements of their bodies even as they were temporarily suspended in midair over the jumps, the landings where hooves would send dust flying up around them.

A few of the horses shied away from the jumps at the last second, and those riders needed to trot away and get back in line to try again.

Weiss took another bite of her sandwich as she watched this happen to a young brown stallion. He nickered nervously at the hurdle and backed away. The rider patted his neck and steered him back to the fence.

Weiss gave a sympathetic sigh as she watched the horse.

When a voice suddenly spoke in her ear, she jolted and gasped aloud.

"That's too bad."

"Wha-?!"

Her heart leapt into her throat at the unexpected newcomer's voice, and Weiss ended up dropping the remaining half of her sandwich into the dirt below. She spun around to find a familiar face beside her, grinning toothily.

"Ruby?"

"The one and only!" She greeted her, then noticed the lost lunch and cried out. "Waaaah, I'm so sorry! Did I scare you that badly?"

"Just a bit," Weiss grumbled, putting a hand on her chest. "That seems to be all you've done to me so far."

"Ahh, sorry. I thought I was pretty noisy walking over here just now. I figured you heard me, but I guess you were just super focused on the horses."

Weiss snorted slightly, then directed her gaze back to the animals.

"Perhaps..."

Ruby took a step forward and leaned against the fence beside her.

"You really love horses, don't you, Weiss?"

"What kind of a question is that? Of course I do. I've been around them my entire life. It's been my family's business for generations. It's impossible _not_ to love them."

"Ah, I get it! You're so lucky, Weiss!"

The older girl cast a glance to her side, missed Ruby's gaze, and then looked away.

"Not really..." she muttered.

Ruby's smile faded, and she was about to ask something else.

But the rider on the quarter horse who'd failed the jump before was trying again, and both girls wanted to watch.

To Weiss, it looked like he had a good running start this time, but again, the horse skidded to a halt and veered away from the hurdle. Unknowingly, she snapped her fingers in frustration.

"Gaaah!" Ruby, on the other hand, was a bit more vocal about it. "Ugh, that rider!"

Weiss quirked an eyebrow and turned to her.

"The rider?"

"Yeah! _He's_ the one who's scared of the jump, not Oatmeal! Horses can sense human fear and that rider keeps hesitating at the last second. _That's_ why Oatmeal can't make the jump! Put an experienced rider on his back and he could do it no problem."

Weiss was so enthralled listening to Ruby's little rant that she hadn't noticed the riding instructor was doing just that.

She had the original rider dismount, then took Oatmeal for herself. She held herself with confidence, her posture firm and eyes focused. With the right gallop forming, she steered the horse towards the hurdle. Then, in one clean motion, they cleared it, landing satisfyingly on the other side.

Ruby and Weiss both cheered softly at the accomplishment.

The instructor then proceeded to tell the other riders exactly what Ruby had just told Weiss. The white-haired girl blinked in amazement.

"Wow. You really know a lot about them, don't you?"

"Eheehee, I mean I guess. I've only been working here for two years, though. I'm sure there's a lot more for me to learn, and I want to learn _everything_ about horses!"

"You and I both," Weiss murmured.

At that, Ruby gave her a puzzled look.

"What? You said it yourself, this is the family business! You've been here your whole life, right? So I'd think you'd know _tons_ more than me, Weiss."

"Well, I _don't_ ," she snapped, though it was less harsh and more regretful.

Ruby could tell right away she was frustrated rather than angry. But she knew it wasn't her place to press further on the issue. She supposed even the daughter of a wealthy man like Mr. Schnee still had hardships and a lot of stress to deal with.

Ruby had assumed Weiss had it easy simply because she didn't sleep in a stable every night.

"Sorry," Ruby mumbled.

Weiss sighed and shook her head.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

With the riding lessons about to come to an end, the pair turned away.

But Ruby didn't want Weiss to leave yet, so she fumbled for something more to say.

"So, are you gonna got for another walk tonight? If you are, don't worry about waking me! I'd love to come along!" she offered.

Weiss blinked at her, the corners of her lips curling upward for a split second before dropping once more.

"Not tonight. I'm still... a little sore from last night."

"Oh. Ahhh, I'm sorry again!" Ruby wailed. "It's my fault for thinking you were a suspicious person and if I hadn't scared you then Zuri wouldn't have gotten upset and knocked you down and almost _killed_ you and-"

"Calm down," Weiss said. She reached out and gave a light flick to Ruby's forehead to silence her. "I'm so unskilled with the horses, I was bound to mess up sometime. I would've set him off and he probably _would_ have trampled me. If you hadn't been there to soothe him, I don't know where I'd be right now. Probably a hospital."

Ruby rubbed her forehead with a mumbled "owwie", but listened well to Weiss. It only added a dozen more questions to the list Ruby already wanted to ask her, but she forced herself to refrain.

"Okay... So not tonight?"

"Not tonight," Weiss confirmed. "I have a lot of assignments to do, anyway. I've got to focus on those first and foremost or else-" She abruptly cut herself off, realizing she was about to babble more than she wanted to reveal. "I've just got to do my schoolwork first. That's all."

"I see..." Ruby's shoulders fell a little bit. She herself didn't have to go to school anymore or get lessons or anything like that. All she had to do was take care of the horses, and she loved that.

Ruby enjoyed every day doing her job, grooming them and cleaning their stalls. She had no idea what Weiss' day entailed, but it didn't sound like any fun at all.

She noticed Weiss was rubbing the back of her head a bit, and Ruby realized she was still in a bit of pain from last night, so perhaps taking tonight to rest would be for the better.

"Okay then," she said at last. "Well, the next time you wanna go out for a walk at night, just find me and I'll come with you!"

Weiss flashed her an uncertain glance. She wasn't sure if she was intent to take Ruby up on that offer, or if she should just say she would and then not follow through.

"Alright," she nodded. "Next time... I'll come find you."

"Great!" Ruby beamed.

Weiss almost spared the second to smile as well.

But before she could, something else came as a bit of a distraction.

"Oh! Hey, Weiss-"

Ruby's surprised warning came a bit too late, though. Weiss felt a bump on her back against the fence, which sent her stumbling forward a few steps. Ruby quickly reached out to steady her with an arm around her stomach.

"What-?"

Weiss turned around to find that a chestnut mare without a rider had wandered over to inspect the sandwich Weiss had dropped earlier. It was only bread, lettuce and some vegetable slices, and before either of them knew it, the horse had gobbled it up. Ruby giggled a bit.

"Well, at least it didn't go to waste!" she said, letting go of Weiss. "But sorry again for startling you and making you lose your lunch, Weiss."

But Weiss' eyes were fixated on the horse that had trotted over, and her reply was more than a little distracted.

"It's fine," she murmured.

The mare lifted her head and shook it, giving a greeting whinny to the girls.

Despite how frequently Weiss visited the corral, it wasn't every day she got to pet one of the horses. Slowly, she reached out her hand towards the mare's muzzle, and the horse raised its lips a bit.

But before she could make contact, Ruby quickly interjected.

"Whoa there!" She grasped Weiss' wrist and pulled it back just seconds before the mare nipped the air, right where her fingers had just been. "You okay, Weiss?" she checked. "She just ate so if you go putting you palm out like that, she'll probably think you've got more food and give you a bite!"

Weiss blinked, her eyes traveling down to her hand for a minute and then going back up to the horse.

"How stupid am I?" she sighed.

"No, hey!" Ruby soothed. "Don't say that! You said yourself that you don't get to spend a lot of time with the horses, so it's only natural you don't know their behavior too well. I mean, you spend every day cooped up in that mansion just-" Ruby quickly slapped a palm to her mouth, realizing she was bad-mouthing her boss' estate. "W-Well, I mean... uh..."

But Weiss wasn't upset at her – she was more upset at herself than anything else.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "You're not wrong, after all."

Weiss was finally smiling now, but Ruby didn't like it. It was a bitter smile, forlorn in a way, and she knew Weiss was embarrassed at herself and resentful of her inability to do as she pleased and spend time with the horses.

Ruby's heart sank for a minute, but she instantly thought of a way to make things better again.

The mare was still behind them, swishing her tail. Ruby reached out to her, letting the horse sniff her before placing a hand on her nose and scratching lightly.

"There's a good girl," she cooed. "Look how pretty you are! What a beautiful coat you have!"

Weiss looked up, watching as Ruby reached out and pet the horse so easily, with minimal effort and without a care in the world. The mare never tried to nip at her as it did Weiss, and it just made her feel even more unworthy of being here.

She took a step back, making a move to head back towards the mansion.

But before she could, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Ruby smiled at her, giving a silent invitation with her eyes that Weiss could only accept.

She followed Ruby a few steps back to the fence, and the stablehand ushered her close. The brunette reached out to pet the mare's head again, murmuring soft words to relax her. Then, she took one of Weiss' hands with her free one, and replaced her hand on the mare's head with the older girl's.

There was a small gasp on Weiss' part, and she very nearly recoiled for one reason or another, half-convinced that the horse would lash out.

But the mare was still and calm, nudging her palm a bit and encouraging Weiss to pet her.

Ruby gave Weiss a gentle pat on the back to encourage her as well, and she too moved up to the fence again to pet the horse's head.

Weiss followed her lead, experimentally rubbing up between the mare's ears, then scratching a bit. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually pet one of the horses, but now it was all coming back to Weiss.

She ran her nails lightly through the thick, course fur, over the ears, on the side of the face, then rubbed atop the nose.

Ruby continued to coo at the horse, complimenting her mane and fur as if she could understand the words. Her eyes caught sight of Weiss, a wide smile on her lips now as she continued petting the horse.

Ruby had seen Weiss around many times before in the past two years, usually standing by the fences watching lessons, but never participating. She could remember seeing the amazement in her eyes while watching the animals train, the wonder and the admiration.

But never before could she recall ever seeing her smile, not like this.

 _This_ was happiness for Weiss, being close to the animals she loved so dearly.

Ruby wanted to let her have that for as long as possible.

Weiss soon even started to coo at the horse as well, then used both hands to pet and scratch her. Ruby was enjoying herself simply because Weiss was doing the same.

Weiss was more than willing to stay here for the rest of the day. But a swift glance at her wristwatch told her that lunch was almost over, and she'd have to return to her lessons soon.

With a small gasp, Weiss stepped back, her hands reluctantly leaving the mare behind.

"I've got to go now," she informed Ruby, the smile nowhere to be seen. "I-I'll see you around."

"Wait!" Ruby called out after her. "Will you be here again for lunch tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Then... would it be okay if I joined you again?"

Weiss paused for a minute, then nodded.

"I don't see why not..."

"Great!" Ruby chirped. "Then... I'll see you tomorrow?"

Again, Weiss was silent for a beat, then nodded.

"Right. See you tomorrow."

And with that, she hurried off back to the mansion.

* * *

For some reason, she didn't exactly expect Ruby to go through with her promise of meeting up again.

Weiss assumed Ruby would forget, or be too busy with her stablehand work to be able to meet with her.

But Weiss had only been watching the riding lessons for a few minutes the following day before she heard footsteps and felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find Ruby's familiar grin staring back at her.

Together, they observed the horses once more, Ruby munching on a granola bar as Weiss picked at another sandwich. She listened to Ruby's little comments about each of the horses as they went around the course.

The quarter horse from yesterday – Oatmeal – managed to clear the jumps now with his rider, but there were still a few others who were having trouble. Ruby groaned aloud as a female jockey on a grey stallion missed a jump for the fourth time.

"No, no, nooo! She's steering all wrong! Ugh..."

Weiss, who had been watching a different part of the corral at the time, directed her attention to the target of Ruby's frustration. She was hardly surprised when she recognized the jockey.

"That's Winter," she murmured. "My sister."

"What?!" Ruby immediately straightened up, almost falling over in her shock. "Y-Your sister? I didn't mean to sound so harsh! I mean, it _is_ kind of a tricky jump, I guess..."

"There's no need to get defensive," Weiss told her. "Winter's never really been too thrilled about riding, but Father makes her take lessons."

Ruby raised an eyebrow as she got her balance back.

"Wait, so you wanna ride and she doesn't... but you're _not_ riding and she _is?_ How does that make any sense?"

"It doesn't _have_ to make sense," Weiss grunted. "It's just the way things are. Family business."

Ruby crossed her arms over the top of the fence and leaned forward with a huff.

"That's dumb..."

Weiss folded her arms beside Ruby and leaned over the fence as well.

"I know what you're thinking," she said. "If this is how things are, then why doesn't Winter be the one to handle the business side of things and I be the one who rides and enjoys the horses?"

"Exactly!" Ruby exclaimed. "That'd make a lot more sense, wouldn't it?"

"I know it would. I've thought about it a lot over the years. And I've come to the conclusion that my sister and I have just spent so much time doing what our Father has _told_ us to do that we can't possibly refute him now." She paused for a moment, lowering her voice. "That's why... tonight... I'm going to come out for a walk again. I'll find you, Ruby. I'll explain everything then."

Ruby still had a million questions to ask, but again she swallowed them down and forced herself to wait on asking them.

They stayed side by side and observed the remainder of the lesson until Weiss needed to leave again.

Ruby wished her good luck at her lessons, then returned to the stables to continue her work.

* * *

With the pain in her back subsided now, Weiss slipped out that evening at around midnight.

She didn't bother with a jacket this time and simply treaded down to the stables in her casual pants and shirt, her boots making small padding sounds in the dirt. The guards greeted her again at their standpoints, and Weiss waved back before hurrying onward.

Once she'd reached the stables, she sought out Ruby's sleeping spot. Weiss peered inside to find the girl sitting on a bail of hay, chewing on a straw of the stuff. But the instant she saw Weiss, Ruby spit it out and jumped to her feet.

"Hiya, Weiss!"

"Shhh!" she hissed. "Do you _want_ the guards to hear us?"

"Oh, sorry!"

She scurried over to Weiss and followed her out into the hall of sleeping horses.

Weiss maintained a slow pace, and Ruby kept it beside her. She wanted to speak, but she remembered that Weiss was going to tell her some things, so Ruby kept silent and waited for her to go first.

Weiss didn't say anything until they reached their destination – Zuri's stable. It was then Weiss turned to Ruby, meeting her eyes directly, blue pools determined and steadfast.

"Ruby..." she began. "I don't... I don't want to be on the business end of things. I want to work with the horses. I want to understand them better. But I'll have to prove it to my father that I can _do_ those things. I'll have to prove to him that I'm good with the horses, that I'm better for working with them than my sister is."

Her eyes flashed to the white stallion in his pen, then back to Ruby.

"And I want _you_ to help me, Ruby. Just... maybe one night a week or so. I want to come in here and learn the basics from you. Teach me how to feed them, how to pet them, how to groom them and muck their stalls. Just teach me how to be around them."

She swallowed, clearly nervous about sneaking around under the cover of night, but Ruby could tell she really wanted this with all her heart. Weiss reached down to grasp both of her hands and squeezed them.

"Please, Ruby. I need your help."

In truth, Weiss never even had to ask. Ruby had seen that sparkle in her eyes enough times to know Weiss truly loved these horses and longed to bond with them. If Weiss hadn't asked her for help, Ruby would have offered before long.

Weiss didn't seem like the kind of person to ask others for assistance, as it meant she'd be indebted to them in some way. But it was a risk she was more than willing to take for the sake of getting close to these majestic animals.

Weiss Schnee was desperate enough to beg a lowly stablehand like Ruby for help.

It was clear that she really wanted – no – _needed_ this. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life behind a desk filing documents _about_ the horses. She wanted to be outside training them, grooming them, _riding_ them.

Ruby realized she had yet to respond to Weiss' plea. The white-haired girl's grip on her hands had slackened a bit, her eyes dropping to the floor as her shoulders heaved a hopeless sigh.

But before she could step away, Ruby grabbed her hands firmly, imploring her to look up again.

"Weiss!"

Ruby's tone was excited and eager, and Weiss felt her heart lift just a little. She looked up to meet those silver eyes like stardust. Ruby was smiling wider than ever before.

"I know you love these horses, Weiss. It's clearer than water that you do! You always get misty-eyed when you're watching them and it's obvious that you care about them a lot! I really like that about you," she said. "Which is why I'm _definitely_ going to help you."

Weiss could hardly believe her ears. Her jaw dropped a bit as she fumbled for words.

"You... really mean it?"

Ruby nodded.

"I mean it, Weiss! I'm gonna help you with these horses. I'll teach you all their names. I'll teach you how to groom them and clean their stalls. I'll teach you how to feed them and how to handle them. And most importantly..."

She held Weiss' gaze for a moment to ensure she had her full attention before Ruby finished her declaration.

"I'll teach you how to ride them!"

* * *

 **A/N: It'll be risky on many levels, but they've agreed to work together!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on** **P-a-t-r-e-o-n** **as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	3. Secret Arrangement

**I hope you didn't forget about this fic! Ruby is determined to help her new friend!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 3. Secret Arrangement

Weiss wasn't certain she'd heard correctly.

Of course it had always been her dream to ride these horses, and she must've been bad at concealing it if Ruby was already addressing it. Truth be told, Weiss had wanted to lead up to that gradually, not intending to make such a request until after she'd convinced her father to let her work with the horses instead.

But if Ruby was willing to help her with that first...

"You... do you really mean it?" Weiss gasped.

Ruby squeezed her hands again.

"Of course I do, Weiss! I know you want to ride them more than anything. I'll teach you how, and then you can prove to your dad just how badly you want this. If I train you in secret for a while, you'll be so good by the end that he can't say no!"

Weiss could already feel her heart starting to pound in anticipation and excitement.

But she didn't want to get ahead of herself with this. She knew it would take a lot of time and a lot of work on both hers and Ruby's parts. And there was one other issue...

"But... how will we ride them?" she asked. "I mean, it would be easy for you to teach me how to groom and handle them, because we can do all of that here in the stables. But riding them would require taking them outside. The guards will catch us, and will have no choice but to report us to my father. Even if we aren't doing anything wrong, they'd need to tell him because we would be exercising the horses at night. It'll never work."

Her shoulders slumped a bit, but Ruby's hands still squeezed hers tightly.

"Don't worry! I've got just the plan!" she said, lowering her voice a bit. "There's a little corral around the other side of the stables. We don't use it anymore for training or anything because it was built too small. The guards aren't stationed to go there because it isn't a section of the ranch that's in-use anymore. We can train there!"

As Ruby spoke, Weiss recalled a few reports her father had mumbled about several years ago. As Ruby had said, the corral had been constructed a while back in hopes to split the training sessions and hold more lessons for more riding students.

But there'd been an error in constructing the spot, as well as spacing issues, rendering it unfit for lessons. The only reason it hadn't been demolished yet was because it would cost too much to do so, therefore it had been left as it was, out of use.

Weiss didn't think she'd ever been down there before, but if it was as out-of-sight as Ruby was making it out to be...

Perhaps this could work after all.

"Of course-" Ruby said, bringing Weiss back to the present. "Riding will have to come way later. You can't just hop on a horse tonight and expect to ride him. First you've gotta earn his trust, groom him and spend time with him and feed him. Once you've bonded enough, then he'll trust you enough to put reins and a saddle on him – don't worry, I'll teach you how to do that, too. And then – after allll that – you'll be able to mount him and start riding!"

Weiss' hands were getting warm with Ruby clinging to her like she was, and the brunette seemed to notice as well. "Sorry!" she squeaked, releasing her. "I was just really excited about this! I wanna help you, Weiss!"

"It's all right," Weiss mumbled, wiping her hands on her pants. "I'm sorry. I'm just... honestly, I'm jealous of you, Ruby."

The younger girl nearly fell over.

"Wh-What? _You're_ jealous of _me?_ How? Why?"

"Because," Weiss sighed. "You get to do what I've always wanted to. Every day, you're out here working with the horses. You know how to care for them and how to ride them."

"Well, actually..." Ruby put in sheepishly. "I've never ridden before. B-But I've seen so many other people do it a bajillion times, so I know I can help you with it! Even if I can't ride myself because I'm not permitted to, I can _guarantee_ you that I can instruct you well enough to help _you_ ride."

"I trust that you can," Weiss said. "You're very knowledgable about everything, Ruby. The other stablehands just do their jobs and then go to bed, waiting for pay day.

"But you... you sleep out here with the horses, and even if my father forgot to give you a paycheck a few times, I'm sure you wouldn't complain and you'd simply continue to work. Because you love it that much. For you, it isn't about money. I can tell."

Ruby felt her cheeks flush, and she nodded bashfully.

"Yeah... I mean I need the money for my parents back home, but even if your dad ever forgot to pay me or something, I wouldn't mind. I really love this job."

Weiss smiled as she watched the girl get teary-eyed talking about her passion. But it was making the white-haired girl have second thoughts. She took a step back and shook her head.

"Then... don't mind all of this, Ruby."

"Huh?"

"I said don't mind this. Forget about helping me. If we ever got caught, you'd risk being fired, and I can't let that happen. I can't let you take that risk."

"Weiss, no-" Ruby reached out for her hands again, holding fast to them. "I wanna do this for you, Weiss! This will help the both of us! I'll get to share what I know about the horses and work with them a bit more, and you'll get to learn about them, too. We'll prove to your dad that you deserve this and that you'll work hard for it - harder than anyone else." She offered a reassuring smile. "We'll do this together, Weiss. Promise."

Ruby hooked both of her pinkie fingers around Weiss' and curled them up. "You're gonna achieve your dream, Weiss. And I'm gonna help you do it!"

Weiss hesitated. There were still a lot of risks about this, most of which were for Ruby. If they got found out, Weiss would get a scolding, but Ruby could lose her job, her income, her passion for working with horses. The stablehand had immensely more things to lose from this than Weiss did if things were to turn sour.

But... for some reason, looking into those earnest silver eyes right now, Weiss was inclined to believe Ruby when she said everything would work out. Ruby just had that aura around her that made Weiss feel everything was going to be alright.

Another moment of silence passed, but still, Ruby kept Weiss' gaze, and didn't let go of her hands. Then, the white-haired girl gave a nod, and squeezed her pinkies around Ruby's in return.

"Alright," she said. "Then it's a promise."

Ruby's face lit up like the sky at dawn. She gave a small squeal of delight, then leaned forward to throw her arms around Weiss, pulling her into a zealous hug.

Weiss stumbled back, somewhat shocked by the action.

But Ruby's excitement was contagious, and made Weiss remember her own. This was her _dream_ they'd be working towards from now on.

Weiss sighed, smiled, and returned the embrace.

After a minute, Ruby pulled away, already eager to take the first step.

"Alright," she said. "So let's not waste another second tonight. Let's get started! First, you should choose a horse you'd wanna ride in the future. That's the one you should start bonding with starting tonight. That'll be the one you'll be grooming and feeding and gaining the trust of."

She walked a few paces down the stables, passing by several horses in their pens. "Most of these guys have been trained and already know how to be ridden, but the riding students all have their own horses, and they don't switch very often. I think you should choose a horse that's got a good temper and welcomes all different kinds of people on their back. Like Ebony here!"

Ruby paused outside of a pen where a jet-black mare was resting. "She's such a sweet girl!" Ruby went on. "She's super mellow and doesn't ever run too fast. The instructors always give her to the beginners. Anyone can ride her. I think she'd be a good starter for you, Weiss! Then you can move on to someone else once you've got the feel for riding!"

She turned around, expecting Weiss to be right beside her. But Ruby found the other girl hadn't moved an inch all this time. She was still standing in the middle of the stables, looking into one stall in particular.

Ruby knew whose it was, and swallowed.

"Weiss-"

"I know Ebony is wonderful," Weiss said as Ruby went back to her. "My father praises her a lot. Says she's one of his best horses for training the riding students... But I don't think she's for me."

Ruby stood beside her, peering into the white stallion's pen.

"I mean, Zuri's a great horse, too!" she said. "But I just think for your _first_ ride, you should start with someone a little less-"

"I know, Ruby," Weiss murmured. "But... I want my first ride to be with him. I don't know why I'm so drawn to him. But I just am."

Even now, she could feel a flutter in her chest as the stallion opened his eyes and lifted his head, walking over to the pen's window to stick his nose through. Ruby took an involuntary step back.

"But Zuri..." she said. "Well, he's already been here for two years, the same amount of time as me. And he always acts docile and friendly in his pen, but as soon as you take him out... he can get a little unpredictable."

"I know," Weiss said again. "Believe me, I know. My father's brought it up many times now at supper and while talking to his trainers. Hardly anyone's been able to ride Zuri since he got here, and the few who have were nearly thrown off. He's not wild, and they still went through the process of breaking him. But if he doesn't let someone ride him soon, my father's going to get rid of him."

Her eyes went down to the floor.

"I mean... I guess I can understand my father's thinking. He'd rather use his money and supplies to care for a horse he can actually use. But I fear if Zuri went to another ranch, they might abuse him because of his behavior, or sell him again and again until they decided he'd be better off dead-"

Her throat closed up at the mere thought of it, and Ruby flinched at the suggestion.

But she'd seen Zuri's temperament for herself, and she knew full-well that having him put down because of it wouldn't be an outrageous decision.

She liked Schnee's ranch because they didn't put horses down unless it was absolutely necessary, like to save them from suffering a life of disease or a broken leg.

But Ruby knew other ranches weren't like that. She knew some killed horses just because they didn't like the way they acted or because they couldn't care for them any longer or make enough profit off them.

And just like Weiss, she couldn't bear the thought of that happening to one of their own.

Weiss had managed to get her voice back by now, and she inhaled deeply before continuing.

"He doesn't deserve to be put down or relocated. He's just a bit rowdy, that's all. We can take him here – I know we can. I want to prove that to my father. I want to be the one to ride Zuri and show that he's as good a horse as any."

Ruby had listened quietly the entire time, but by the end of Weiss' speech, she had that trademark grin covering her lips once again. She met Weiss' gaze once more, earnest and eager.

"You're really amazing, Weiss."

The compliment had been unexpected to say the least, and Weiss blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I beg your pardon?"

Ruby traced a circle on the floor with the tip of her boot and elaborated.

"I mean... how you'd go through all of this just to save one horse. How you'd put yourself and your position at risk. How you'd train at night in secret to achieve your dream. I think that's really incredible of you. I'm happy to help you do it." Ruby lifted her hand and gave a thumbs-up. "I'll be with you every step of the way!"

Weiss' lips curled into a smile. She had to admit it was nice to know she wouldn't be going at this alone.

"Thank you, Ruby."

The brunette nodded, then spun around on her heel to face the stables.

"Now then, let's get in a short lesson tonight! Did you bring a treat for him?"

Weiss nodded, stepping forward as she reached into her pocket and extracted a carrot.

At the sight of the treat, the stallion perked up and lumbered over to the window of the pen. Ruby took the carrot and broke it in half, giving one to Weiss and keeping the other for herself.

"Alright, so you already know how to hold out a treat to a horse. Never like you're holding a pencil. You gotta lay your hand flat and keep the carrot in your palm. And it's best not to feed them at irregular times from the usual schedule, but we'll make an exception tonight for this big guy."

Ruby held out her piece of the carrot to him as she'd explained, nodding at Weiss to do the same. The white-haired girl stepped up beside her and mimicked the motion.

"Now then," Ruby went on as the stallion approached them. "When you're waiting for him to come take it, make sure you're not too stiff. Don't be nervous or uncomfortable. Horses can sense that. Just relax, be calm, and let him know you trust him not to bite you."

Weiss tried to copy Ruby's posture and her radiating confidence. As a stablehand, she'd hand-fed horses probably a thousand times over the past two years.

But even in the seventeen years Weiss had been living here, she had probably only hand-fed them a collective dozen times or so.

And she'd never fed _this_ one before.

She watched as he went to Ruby's hand first and happily gobbled up her half of the carrot. Ruby gave him a few pats on the nose before withdrawing her hand, wiping it on her pants.

Zuri then inspected Weiss, and Ruby could see him hesitate. She stood at the ready beside Weiss, in case she deemed it fit to pull the girl away altogether.

"Relax..." she reminded her. Ruby put a steadying hand on Weiss' back, coaxing her forward another step.

But Weiss could only remember two nights ago, the sudden outburst when she'd accidentally startled him. Most horses' reactions to such an incident would be to flee, but Zuri's had been to attack and try to harm her in order to defend himself.

As soon as his lips neared her hand, Weiss jolted a little bit, causing his teeth to graze her palm. The carrot rolled to the floor in his pen, and the horse instantly dipped his head to retrieve it.

Ruby guided Weiss a few paces back, feeling the change in her stature.

"He noticed you were nervous," she said. "Which was why he got nervous, too. He thought you might move your hand or pull it away, so that's why he was being jumpy, too. He didn't want you to move, or else he'd bite you. Lemme see your hand."

Gently, she took Weiss' left hand and looked it over – a little dirty, but no blood.

"Sorry..." Weiss mumbled. "I was just thinking about a few nights ago. I couldn't help it."

"Hey, that's okay," Ruby soothed, patting her back. "He did kinda charge you. He's a little aggressive. Are you sure you don't wanna choose someone else for this?"

Weiss sighed, but shook her head.

"No. Like I said, it has to be him."

Even before Weiss had said it, Ruby had already known the answer.

"Alright. Then you've gotta forget about the other night. That was partially my fault cause I'd surprised you when you were trying to handle him. He's a bit antsy around you too now because of that. I'm mostly responsible for it, so I'll help you out with this in whatever way I can."

She looked up to the far wall of the stables, glancing at a clock that hung there. "Gosh, it's already 1:30? Alright, let's do one last quick thing tonight. Sorry I gotta cut you kinda short, but I gotta be up at 6 to start feeding them."

"Right. I'll come a bit earlier from now on."

Ruby led her back to Zuri's pen. The horse had finished his snack and was looking at them expectantly for more. But Ruby shook her head and held out both empty hands for him to observe.

"Sorry, buddy! That's it for now." He sniffed both of her hands, snorted, then tossed his head. A few seconds later, Ruby reached out to pet his forehead. "There we go. It's best to pet them when they've got their mouths full so they don't try to nip at you. But if you show them you don't have any food and they realize they won't be getting anymore yummies, then you can pet them, too."

She waved Weiss forward to try it out. The older girl displayed both palms for the stallion, and once he saw she had nothing more to offer, he simply remained still, enjoying Ruby's treatment.

But Weiss hesitated, not certain how she should go about making contact. Ruby ushered her closer and used the same trick they'd used on Oatmeal a few days earlier. Ruby replaced her own hand with Weiss', quickly enough where the horse didn't even notice the switch.

"Now just pet his neck and scratch his ears!" she instructed.

Weiss did just that, doing her best to loosen her posture and be calm.

Once she'd shaken off the last bits of nervousness, she realized this horse really was just the same as any other. Despite his notoriously unpredictable behavior, he still enjoyed human contact. For every second he was jumpy and aggressive, he could be calm, reserved, and relaxed as well.

Weiss knew this would take a lot of work, and many hours of training in secrecy, but she was determined to make a difference in this horse's life.

She stroked her fingers through his white mane, using her other hand to rub his muzzle.

"I won't let them take you away," she murmured. "You'll be staying right here. With me."

Ruby watched the entire scene, the tranquility in both Weiss' and Zuri's eyes, the desire to make this work somehow. Her stomach knotted a little bit, and a rush of warmth started to sting behind her eyes.

Weiss really was beautiful, in every sense of the word.

Once the girl had finally pulled away and Zuri returned to the opposite side of his pen, Ruby stepped forward. There were tears already rolling down her cheeks, silent but expressive enough. She hugged Weiss, burying her face in the other girl's shoulder.

"We're gonna do this, Weiss. I promise."

This was the second time Ruby had embraced her, but Weiss was already getting used to it. It wasn't often she got to experience such contact, and she had to admit it wasn't at all unwelcome.

"Thank you..." She placed her hands on Ruby's back and held her for a moment, until the blubbering had died down. Weiss cleared her throat meaningfully. "Alright. Don't cry, you dunce. You should get to bed. You've got to be up even earlier than me."

Ruby sniffled one last time, then wiped her arm over her eyes and stepped back.

"Right! I'll let you go, Weiss." She released her and grinned. "I'll see you here tomorrow night, then!"

"Yes. And as I said, I'll try to get out a bit earlier, perhaps eleven or so. That way, we can work a few hours and still get sufficient sleep."

"Got it!" Ruby saluted her cheerfully. But just before Weiss could turn away to head back to the mansion, Ruby's tone lowered a bit. "And, Weiss...?"

The white-haired girl turned back.

"Yes?"

Ruby's voice was earnest and full of emotion this time.

"Thank you for doing this. Thank you for... giving him a chance."

Her eyes flashed back to the stallion's pen. Weiss dipped her head to Ruby.

"And thank _you_ for believing in me."

With that, the two girls went their separate ways for the night, the promise of tomorrow waiting to begin at dawn just a few hours away.

* * *

 **A/N: Ruby and Weiss have gotten a little closer, but sneaking out at night can't possibly stay easy forever, right?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	4. The First Trial

**Now it's time for Weiss to start learning the basics from Ruby!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 4. The First Trial

Weiss kept true to her offer of coming out to the stables a bit earlier the following nights.

Her father often went to bed around ten at night, and Weiss would continue working on her assignments for however long it took until she was finished. With a bit of extra work, she managed to get things done around eleven, and once everything was in order, she'd go out for her usual walk.

The maids and guards eventually caught on that Weiss would be doing this often, so the routine nature of it all was starting to dissuade thoughts of suspicion and instead take on a sense of normalcy.

Being early spring, some nights were still a bit chilly, and Weiss would take a jacket with her.

But she was always amazed to walk into the stables and find Ruby with nothing more than her work clothes and a small red blanket.

Tonight in particular was a bit nippy, and Weiss had taken the liberty upon herself to bring an extra sweatshirt with her, tucking it under her arm as she walked. Her intention was to give it to Ruby.

Sure enough, when she rapped her knuckles on the stable wall and peered inside the vacant pen, she found Ruby lounging on the bail of hay she called a bed with nothing but the clothes she'd been wearing all day and the red blanket on her shoulders.

The second Ruby saw her, she brightened up and waved happily.

"Evening, Weiss!"

But Weiss heaved a sigh, shaking her head at the sight of the girl.

"You dunce. It's only ten or so degrees above freezing at this hour. You're going to get sick. You should at _least_ wait in your cabin until eleven when you know I'll be here."

"It's fine!" Ruby said. "The wind isn't so bad in here."

"Yes, but the air is still chilly. Here." Weiss tossed her the extra sweatshirt, watching as Ruby's eyes went wide in surprise.

"Ah, Weiss it's okay! I don't need-"

"Don't argue. Just take it."

"O-Okay!" Ruby folded up her red blanket and put it aside on the hay, then stood and began wrestling her way into the sweatshirt. She and Weiss were the same size, so it fit her quite comfortably. "Oh, it's nice and warm!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, and freshly-washed," Weiss added. "I've got several more sweatshirts in my room... You may keep that one, if you'd like. For the cooler nights when you refuse to sleep in your cabin."

"Waaahh, no, no I couldn't!" Ruby squeaked.

"Please. Consider it a gift for helping me every night," Weiss reassured her. "It's really not much in comparison."

Bashfully, Ruby buried her chin, mouth, and nose into the collar of Weiss' sweatshirt.

"Thank you."

Weiss flashed her a small smile.

"Don't mention it. Now then, are you well-rested?"

"Yep! I had a nice long nap before, right after lunchtime! I'm rarin' to go!"

"Good to hear."

Ruby hurried over to meet her, then walked with Weiss down to Zuri's stall.

"Okay," the stablehand said. "So I think you've gotten comfortable with petting and feeding him. So tonight, you should be able to pet him without distracting him with food first. He's familiar with you and he trusts you by now."

Ruby nodded, indicating for Weiss to try petting him without offering food first.

Weiss stepped up to the stall window and clicked her tongue softly. The stallion's ear flicked and he turned around to face her. He nickered softly in greeting and walked over to her.

Even though she didn't have a treat for him this time, Weiss still managed to reach out and pet him, scratching at the bases of his ears, causing his back leg kick out in delight.

"Oh! You found his sweet spot!" Ruby giggled. "Nice going, Weiss!"

The white-haired girl couldn't help but smile as she continued to pet the horse. She felt like she'd just passed a test or trial somehow. After a minute, Ruby nodded approvingly.

"Alright! Now that we've covered the basics, I'll teach you how to groom him! I'd teach you how to fill his water and food bowls, but that's a stablehand job. If someone told your dad that _you_ were the one coming out here at six in the morning to do my kinda work, I think I'd get in trouble..."

"You're right," Weiss agreed. "So grooming it is, then."

"Yeah. And for that, we'll need some supplies. Come with me!"

Ruby led her down to the end of the stables, where she paused in front of a small door. Ruby located the hidden key stowed away in between two planks of wood in the wall, then unlocked the door.

It led to a small room, and as soon as Ruby flicked on a light switch, Weiss could see it was filled with supplies, including saddles, reins, crops, brushes, and buckets. She'd seen the stablehands doing their work many times before, but she had to admit she'd never before been inside the storage room where everything was kept.

Ruby ushered her inside, bringing her over to the brushes first.

"He's a big horse, so we can use one of the bigger brushes!" she said, plucking one off a hook on the wall. She handed it to Weiss, and then picked up a bucket. There was a small hose hanging on the far wall, and Ruby padded across the room to turn it on, filling the bucket halfway. She then added a bit of a bar of soap and mixed it in until small bubbles formed at the surface of the water.

"I offered to groom him today," Ruby explained. "And then when the other stablehands weren't looking, I didn't actually clean him. I saved this task just for you tonight, Weiss!"

"I'll do my best," she said. "Though I can't guarantee I'll do as good of a job as you can."

"You'll do great!"

Once the bucket was ready, Ruby carried it back out the door as Weiss took the brush. Ruby also instructed her to grab a few clean towels off a shelf near the door.

"Usually, we'll clean them during the day and then let the sun dry them off. But since it's nighttime, we'll have to dry him ourselves."

Once they had everything they'd need, Ruby turned off the light and closed the door behind them. They walked back to Zuri's stall, and Ruby put the bucket down to grab the key and open the door.

"Heya, big guy! Sorry I didn't clean you off before, but Weiss is here at your service now!" Ruby ushered her in with a grin. "I didn't groom him, but at least I mucked his stall!"

Weiss silently thanked her for that as she followed Ruby into the pen, then closed the door behind herself.

"Alrighty!" Ruby sang. "So you'll wanna start with the brush. Just go through his mane first and untangle all the knots and stuff. Then you can start on his coat. I'll distract him as you work, okay?"

Ruby had groomed this horse before and seen others do it as well. Admittedly, she was a little nervous about all of this, just because she'd seen how he could get flustered and angry very easily. But she didn't want to frighten Weiss by telling her such things, so she simply offered to occupy the horse's attention as Weiss worked.

Weiss picked up the brush and stepped up to the stallion's shoulder, reaching out to start brushing his mane.

In the meantime, Ruby reached into her pants pocket and extracted a few oats she'd prepared ahead of time, holding them out to the horse.

"Just gonna associate your grooming him with food and good things!"

She let him nibble at the oats in her palm and looked up to watch Weiss combing through his mane. She went slowly and carefully, doing her very best not to tug the hairs, using her other hand to press it flat and hold it in place.

Gradually, Weiss worked all the way down his mane, from the tufts between his ears to the longer strands at his shoulders. Ruby was relieved there had been no outbursts from the horse.

 _Maybe he's more mellow at night,_ she thought.

Weiss stepped back and looked over her work, then met Ruby's gaze.

"How's this?"

"Great! You did really well for your first time grooming, Weiss! Now for the water!" Ruby stepped away from the horse's head to show Weiss how to clean him off. She demonstrated first, dunking the brush into the warm water and then running it over the side of his neck. "Easy, right?"

"Of course."

Weiss took the brush and continued where Ruby had left off. Every few minutes or so, she knelt down to dunk the brush again, then continued brushing him.

The stallion seemed to relax a bit at the soothing contact, and Ruby's doubts dwindled and dwindled.

Weiss brushed over his shoulders, flanks, and haunches, then stepped around his front to start on his other side.

"Good boy," she murmured. "So well-behaved."

She brushed the front of his chest, then the top of his head. Before she knew it, she was finished, and Ruby clapped for her. She and Weiss each took a towel and began drying the horse off, patting through his wet fur until it was comfortably dry.

With an accomplished sigh, Weiss dropped her towel over the edge of the bucket. Ruby did the same and gave her a zealous squeeze.

"You did it, Weiss! And you did it really well! I don't think I've ever seen him so calm before. Maybe the key is to handle him at night when he's a little tired?"

"I'm just glad it went smoothly," Weiss commented.

"Well, that's because you were confident about it! Actually, I didn't tell you this, but he's usually pretty naughty when it comes to grooming. But when you did it, he was so calm! I've never seen that before!"

Weiss blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

"Really!" she beamed. "It hasn't even been a full week yet of you coming here at night, and he's already getting better! You're really incredible, Weiss!"

"Hardly..." she mumbled, looking down. "It's because you helped me with it."

"Naaaww! You're being modest~" Ruby hummed, nudging Weiss' ribs.

"H-Hey!" With a squeak, the older girl jumped back a bit. Ruby giggled as Weiss took a playful swing at her and missed.

The stall was soon full of soft laughter and energy that only being alone together in a stable at midnight could produce.

Zuri picked up on their merriment and got a bit playful as well. He stepped forward and bit Weiss' ponytail, giving a light tug.

"Ah-" Surprised, Weiss let out a short shriek as she was suddenly pulled backward.

"Wh-Whoa!" Ruby quickly dove forward to catch her, saving Weiss from falling into the bucket. "You okay?"

"Yes," she gasped. "Thank you."

The brunette blushed when she realized Weiss was in her arms, her balance now totally dependent on Ruby. Carefully, she helped Weiss straighten up and find her footing again. Ruby had never looked into her eyes from such close proximity before, and it was hard not to get lost in them...

"Ruby?"

Weiss' voice brought her back to reality.

"Uh- yeah! Sorry! We're finished here for now, so let's put everything away and then we can call it a night."

Weiss nodded, helped her gather everything, and then followed her out. Ruby locked the stall door and then walked with Weiss back to the storage room to put everything back into place.

At last, they emerged and got ready to depart for the night.

"Thank you again, Ruby," Weiss said with a smile. She beckoned the stablehand closer and leaned forward, pressing a light kiss of gratitude to her cheek.

Ruby felt her face take on her namesake's color, heat flooding her cheeks instantly.

"I-I uhm, you're... welcome, Weiss..." she babbled. "S-So, will I see you again tomorrow at lunchtime?"

"That you will," she nodded.

"Okay! Great!" She reached forward and hugged Weiss goodbye. "And I'll take good care of the sweatshirt! I might sleep out here some nights, but I do laundry and shower every day!"

"Glad to hear it."

They parted, and Weiss waved a bit before turning back and heading toward the path that led to the mansion.

Ruby's mention of showering had Weiss eager for one; grooming a horse was a bit of a messy process, and she didn't want to go to bed smelling like a stall. Plus, she couldn't risk her father finding out what she was doing – not until she was absolutely certain she was ready.

By the time she'd made it back to the mansion, she checked her wrist watch to discover it was just past 1AM. Weiss headed up the stairs quietly, counting her blessings that she had her own bathroom and wouldn't have to risk waking anyone by turning on lights. She grabbed her nightgown from her room and then retreated to the bathroom to start running the water.

Once she was finished showering and had slipped into her sleepwear, she tossed her dirty laundry into the hamper and retreated to her room. She flicked on her bedside lamp for the moment, crossed the room to one of her windows, and opened it a crack to let in some fresh air.

As she passed by her desk, she made sure everything was in order. A stray paper caught her eye, and she realized she'd neglected to finish an assignment.

Therefore, she toiled away at her desk for another hour, until it was nearly 2:30AM.

When she'd finished at last, she shut off the lamp and collapsed onto her bed. Her hair was still damp from her shower, as she hadn't been able to use her hair dryer for fear of waking someone up. She curled up in her bed beneath the blankets, shivering a bit as the dampness of her hair seeped into her back.

But she felt immensely accomplished about what she'd done tonight. She remembered Ruby's praises about how she'd groomed Zuri without incident, and it gave Weiss' confidence a much-needed boost.

It had only been six days, and yet she'd done a lot more than she'd ever thought possible.

 _I can do this..._ she reminded herself. _With Ruby's help, I can do this. I'll prove myself to my father and save that horse._

With her goal in the forefront of her mind, Weiss soon drifted off.

* * *

The following days and nights went much the same way; Weiss woke early, went to her tutoring and home-schooling lessons, then worked on her homework until late into the night. She'd then go see Ruby and the horse, and finally return to her room to complete her unfinished papers.

Another week passed by in this manner, and Weiss could feel her bond with Zuri getting stronger by the day.

And... not _just_ her bond with the horse.

She was becoming quite smitten with a certain stablehand as well.

How couldn't she, after all? Ruby was so helpful, so earnest and pure-hearted, not to mention the passions she shared with Weiss.

And she was rather cute, too.

. . .

The first day of the third week of their secret nighttime training was rainy, but that didn't stop Weiss from waking earlier than usual, nor did it prevent her from going outside to watch the lessons at lunchtime as she always did.

She met with Ruby as per usual and observed the riders and their horses. Zuri wasn't among them – he never was – and Weiss was both a little proud and a little apprehensive about that.

She was proud because she truly believed he could be _her_ horse.

But as far as her father knew, the stallion wasn't being used by the riders very much, and each day, the horse's use to him faded more and more.

That evening, Weiss started on her assignments again, then around eleven went to the stables, walking through the mud and rain.

It poured all night, but that didn't stop her from working with Ruby once more on grooming the stallion and gaining his trust.

Once they had finished putting everything away, Ruby paused Weiss before she could leave. She did something she'd been building up the courage to do for an entire week now.

Coyly, she kissed Weiss' cheek in return for the one she'd received several nights ago.

Weiss wasn't all that surprised or taken aback by the action; in fact, it made her heart flutter. She merely smiled before pecking Ruby's lips lightly and without a word.

Ruby squealed, ecstatic beyond explanation as she danced and twirled around in little circles.

"Wow!" she squeaked. "Weiss, c-can I-?"

Weiss planted another kiss on her nose.

"Of course, you dunce."

Ruby kissed her lips this time, a little fuller and for a little bit longer than before.

The rain was cold outside, hissing as it fell all around them, pattering against the wooden roof and walls.

But for that moment, the two girls were comfortably warm.

After a few minutes they parted, and Ruby pinched herself to ensure all of this was real. Weiss helped confirm it by lightly flicking her forehead.

Ruby wished Weiss sweet dreams before running off giddily, skipping and giggling and still wearing the sweatshirt Weiss had given her.

It was the first time since they'd started meeting up at night that had ever seen her intent to use the warm, dry bed rather than a musky old hay bail.

Weiss watched her go. Ruby reached her cabin and slipped inside within thirty seconds.

As for Weiss herself, she stumbled the five-minute walk back to the mansion, her hair thoroughly soaked through by the time she fumbled her key into the lock and got back inside. She removed her boots and left them by the front door to dry, then made her way up the stairs.

Once more, she showered in the late hours, and then returned to her desk to complete her homework. Her heart was still pounding quickly, and it had been for quite some time now, even before Ruby had kissed her.

She shook her head, shut off the lamp, and laid down on her bed, her still-wet tresses covering her back.

She thought of Zuri for a moment before her thoughts ultimately went to Ruby.

But it was entirely unexpected and almost forced when sleep took her, dragging her down into the darkness against her will.

* * *

 **A/N: Just when their secret romance starts to blossom, something's wrong with Weiss! How will this affect her training with Zuri and seeing Ruby?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on** **P-a-t-r-e-o-n** **as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Results And Risks

**Many of you read closely enough to realize something's up. A lot happens in this chapter, hence why it's so much longer than the others.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 5. Results And Risks

Ruby still couldn't believe it.

Not only were she and Weiss making rather excellent progress with Zuri during their nighttime sessions, but the girls had made some progress of their own together, as well.

Ruby didn't stop squealing and tossing around in her cabin bed all that night until dawn. The rain had stopped by then, but it wasn't a dreary morning – just the opposite. The morning sunlight reflected off the wet grass laden with raindrops, making everything sparkle.

Ruby felt as though she'd slept for an entire day, and she jumped out of bed refreshed and rejuvenated, ready for the day ahead.

She got dressed in a clean set of working clothes, ate a brief breakfast provided by the cabin's small cafeteria, and then she was off to start on her morning chores.

She greeted her fellow workers much more happily than usual, and the others were baffled by how energetic and eager she seemed to muck stalls. She was humming to herself and twirling about whenever she could manage, the very definition of the word ecstatic.

Her cheeks and lips were still warm from where Weiss had kissed them last night, and Ruby kept reliving that moment in her mind.

It was distracting her enough to have her knock over an entire bucket of oats during feeding time, but even as she apologized and started sweeping them up, she was smiling.

She wondered if Weiss was as giddy as she was, though Ruby found it hard to imagine anyone being very happy when they were stuck for hours on end in business lessons that didn't pertain to their interests in the slightest.

By the time noon rolled around, Ruby was on-track with her tasks and took a brief break, hoping to find Weiss once again for lunch. She grabbed a bag of chips and a bottle of strawberry-flavored juice from her cabin, then headed to the corral to watch the lessons and wait for Weiss.

But by the time Ruby had eaten more than half the bag of chips, there was still no sign of her. Puzzled, she looked down the dirt path leading to the mansion to see if she could spot Weiss, but to no avail.

Simple thoughts of _Maybe she's just late,_ soon turned to more uneasy ones by the time she'd finished her meal and still seen no sign of Weiss.

 _Maybe she just had too much work to do today so she couldn't make it out? Or maybe her dad asked her to do something for him?_ Ruby shuddered to think of the other possibility. _What... What if he found out about what we're doing? He'd probably punish her first and then come after me..._

Ruby snapped around to look over her shoulder, expecting her boss to be standing right there, shouting that she was fired.

But that never happened, nor did Weiss ever show that day.

Ruby finished her chores in the stables, then took a nap on her favorite hay bail.

Then it was suppertime in the cabin, and at last she retreated to the stables. The sun had sunk hours ago, but it wasn't yet the usual time for Weiss to come down.

Ruby lazed about and napped for several more hours, until she woke at 11:15 to the sounds of movement not made by the horses. Ruby opened her eyes and jumped up instantly as she heard a familiar rapping of fingers against the wall.

"Weiss!"

Sure enough, the white-haired girl was standing at the pen's door. She was wearing a large sweatshirt over the initial layer of clothes, which Ruby found odd considering the warm night that was upon them.

But she thought nothing of it as she sped across the pen and threw her arms around the girl.

Weiss stumbled a bit, caught off guard by the force of the hug, but she did her best to return it.

"Sorry I'm late," she murmured. "I had more work to do."

"I'm so glad you came!" Ruby sighed. "I was worried when you didn't show up at lunch, and then I thought your dad had found you out."

"No," Weiss reassured quietly. "Nothing as bad as that. I was simply busy."

"I'm glad that's all it was."

Ruby pulled away, wearing a beaming smile. She leaned forward to kiss Weiss' cheek, and the older girl did the same, her lips pressing to Ruby's skin lightly. The brunette wiggled happily at the contact, then released Weiss and spun herself around joyously.

"Alrighty, then! Let's get to grooming!"

She began marching toward the storage room to grab the supplies, and Weiss followed.

However, Ruby had to keep pausing to wait for her, and she couldn't help but think Weiss was feeling reluctant about all of this somehow. She had smiled earlier at Ruby's kiss, but since then her eyes had become downcast and her lips were pursed.

Even so, Ruby prepared the supplies, handing the brushes and towels to Weiss once she'd caught up. Ruby took the bucket, and together they made their way back to Zuri's stall.

They went about the task as per usual, Ruby petting the horse's head as Weiss combed and bathed him. But her motions were a bit sluggish tonight, and though she smiled and pet the horse as often as she could, it all seemed a bit forced to Ruby.

 _Maybe she doesn't wanna do this anymore...? Is she giving up on him?_

Ruby shook her head, refusing to believe such a thing.

Even though Weiss was moving slowly, her blue eyes were still firm, set with determination – focused. She still wanted to do this just as passionately as ever before.

There was something _else_ that was wrong...

It was when Weiss had just finished grooming the stallion and dropped her brush into the bucket when she suddenly sneezed, so hard that it sent her reeling back against the wall. The startled horse neighed into Ruby's ear and she quickly stepped away from him.

"Easy!" she gasped, and she wasn't sure if she was talking to the horse or to Weiss. Ruby rushed to the girl's side, steadying her before Weiss could slump to the ground. "Weiss! Are you okay? What happened?"

The other girl groaned, struggling to find her footing as she felt Ruby supporting most of her weight.

"It was... just the dust..." she mumbled. "Sorry."

"Hey, Weiss, listen-" Ruby was about to voice her concerns as she held Weiss up.

But before she could even finish her sentence, the intended words died away as her fears were confirmed.

Beneath the excess layer of clothes, Weiss was shivering, but when Ruby pressed a palm to her forehead, her skin was torrid, hot enough to almost make her recoil.

"Weiss!" she shrieked. "You're burning up! You shouldn't have come out here if you were so sick! You should've told me!"

But she realized Weiss had been silently telling her all along. She hadn't been feeling well enough to come out at lunch, and it wasn't that she was reluctant to join Ruby in the stables tonight. Rather, Weiss was severely fatigued, but she loved and cared about the stallion enough not to let her sickness prevent her from seeing him.

Ruby whimpered to herself as everything clicked in her mind, and now she was faced with Weiss in this condition.

"Oh gosh, Weiss..."

The girl's eyelids had fluttered shut, her breathing suddenly labored and shallow. Ruby grasped Weiss' wrist and slung the girl's arm across her shoulders, helping her to her feet.

"Come on. You gotta sit down."

Ruby limped with her out of Zuri's pen, kicking the door closed as much as she could once they were out.

Together, they made it to the stall Ruby often slept in. She eased Weiss down onto one of the hay bails, one hand on her back to support her posture.

"Weiss... Weiss? Can you hear me?"

The white-haired girl blinked up at her, then nodded in affirmation. Ruby continued in a soft tone.

"I'm just gonna clean everything up, okay? Just wait here for a minute. I'll be right back."

She picked up her own little red blanket and draped it over Weiss' shoulders.

Then, without wasting another second, she darted back the way she'd come, rushing to put the bucket and other supplies away as quickly as possible. After locking the storage room door as well as the stallion's pen, she rushed back to Weiss and sat beside her, voice anxious.

"Weiss... how did this happen? It's... because of all this, isn't it? It's because of what we're doing-"

"No..." Weiss wheezed. "It's... not because of this. I've just been getting... a lot of extra assignments lately. I stayed up late... couldn't sleep... I didn't... dry my hair..."

Her words didn't connect very well, but Ruby could make sense of them enough to paint a general picture in her mind.

After a long, mentally-laborious day of home-schooling lessons, Weiss would work for hours on her assignments, and then trek all the way out to the stables at night to work with Ruby. Then it was a late-night trek back to the mansion, more homework, a shower where she couldn't even find the energy to dry her hair, and in the end she'd only have a few hours of rest.

Running about in the rain a few nights ago likely hadn't helped, either.

Ruby fidgeted nervously.

"We're gonna have to put everything on hold," she determined. "You can't keep doing this to yourself, Weiss. You're just going to end up sicker and then your dad will get suspicious."

She reached out with gentle fingers to brush them along the underside of Weiss' chin, having the girl look up into her eyes. Ruby wanted to confirm Weiss was listening and could make sense of her words.

"So no more of this, Weiss. Not until you're better, okay?"

Ruby kissed her cheek, a silent apology for letting all of this happen and not realizing it sooner.

Weiss sighed, but nodded.

A soft cough shook her body and forced its way out of her lips, and it was followed by an army of more violent coughs.

Ruby swiftly wrapped her arms around Weiss, pulling her close to keep her from collapsing. She rubbed her back by means of comfort, doing her best to soothe her.

Weiss' coughing fit lasted for several minutes, and every one of them sent a jolt through her weakened body, hard enough for Ruby to feel them all.

In between the coughs, she could feel Weiss trembling, but even more alarming than all of that was how harshly her heart was pounding. Ruby could feel it slamming against her own chest, and it worried her greatly.

She murmured cajoling phrases into Weiss' ear, petting through her hair softly.

Eventually, the girl's coughing died down, her hitched breathing becoming nothing more than rasps.

Ruby held her for a while longer, waiting for Weiss' heart rate to slow down. She let her rest for a few minutes, knowing what was to come.

When the clock struck one in the morning, Ruby brushed her cheek against Weiss' and kissed her ear.

"Weiss... are you awake?"

A small sniffle and a nod gave Ruby her answer.

"Okay. We're gonna have to walk a bit now. I've gotta get you back to the mansion. I'd take you back to my cabin, but I can't take care of you with the supplies I have there. Plus, your dad probably wouldn't like getting that kind of news in the morning. But back in the mansion, the maids can take care of you. So we've gotta go there, okay? I'll help you every step of the way. Promise."

Ruby slipped her hands beneath both of Weiss' arms, then slowly got to her feet, having Weiss follow.

The girl who was usually so confident and held herself with such poise could now barely stand without clinging desperately to Ruby. The red blanket fell from her shoulders and fluttered onto the hay bail.

Ruby took it slowly, adjusting her pace for the sick girl and never moving faster than what Weiss could handle.

They made it out of the stable, but when they were only a few feet up the path to the mansion, Ruby could feel Weiss straining. Her breathing became fast and meek again, and Ruby paused for a moment to let the girl catch her breath.

This happened frequently, but Ruby never got impatient with her. She'd merely wrap Weiss in her arms and kiss her temple or the crown of her head.

"You're doing great, Weiss. Don't push yourself. Just take your time. We'll get there, don't worry."

But they only made it about halfway back to the mansion before Weiss' condition took a turn for the worse. She very nearly collapsed, and it was only thanks to Ruby's speed and strength that she didn't hit her head to the ground.

Weiss was on her knees, and Ruby got down beside her, gently tilting Weiss' head to glimpse her eyes.

"Weiss? Weiss, can you hear me?" she whimpered.

The older girl could barely keep her eyes open anymore.

Ruby kissed her forehead, appalled to find how feverish she was. When she put a palm to Weiss' collar, she could feel every rapid beat of her heart thundering away like a stampede of horses.

Ruby pulled her into another embrace and took a moment to think. It might've been best just to bring her back to the cabin after all.

But at this point, they were already closer to the mansion. So she had to commit.

Carefully, she gathered Weiss into her arms and staggered to her feet.

She was barely conscious at this point, but Weiss managed to wrap her arms around Ruby's shoulders and tuck her head beneath the stablehand's chin.

Ruby was used to lifting shovels full of manure and lofty hay bails on a daily basis, so Weiss' weight wasn't much of a challenge for her.

She did her best to take her time, but when she felt Weiss go limp altogether, Ruby hurried the final dozen feet to the mansion. She struggled to knock softly, but she didn't dare try the doorbell and risk waking Weiss' father.

Luckily, it was a maid who answered the door, her confusion quickly turning to shock at the sight of the girls.

"Miss Weiss!" she cried. "What happened?"

Ruby gently transferred Weiss into the maid's arms as she gave a false recount of what had happened.

"Well, I'd woken up and I noticed she was outside. Probably going for a walk I guess. But then I saw her collapse and when I went to her, I realized she was very sick."

"Oh goodness," the maid fretted. "Yes, she's been going out for walks at night recently. She must've tired herself out too much. Thank you for bringing her here."

"It's no problem." Ruby tried to give a smile, but it didn't last long, her worried eyes instantly going back to Weiss. "I just hope she gets better soon."

With that, the maid bid her a goodnight and hurried off to tend to Weiss.

Ruby turned away and stuffed her hands in her pockets as she made for the stables once more.

She couldn't help but feel that Weiss' falling ill was her fault, or at the very least, Ruby was disappointed in herself for not noticing the signs sooner. She'd been so high up on cloud nine due to the fact that Weiss reciprocated her affections, so Ruby hadn't been thinking about much else other than that.

This ordeal had been a wake-up call if nothing else.

Once she'd made it back to her stall, she flopped down onto her bed of hay, and rested her head on her blanket. It still smelled like Weiss.

She fell asleep, anxious for morning to arrive.

* * *

When the sun cast its first beams of light through the wooden rafters, Ruby was up instantly, intent to finish her work as soon as possible in hopes she might be able to go up to the mansion again to inquire about Weiss' condition.

She had just finished eating breakfast and had been about to head out to start mucking stalls when one of her superiors caught her.

"Rose!" she called.

"Ah, y-yes, ma'am!" Ruby squeaked. "What is it?"

The woman smiled to assure Ruby she wasn't in any trouble.

"You're not going to muck stalls today," she informed the girl. "Word around the ranch this morning is that Mr. Schnee's youngest daughter collapsed last night and _you_ were the one to find her and bring her inside. She was sick all through the night, but now the worst of it seems to be out of her system. She's awake now and has requested to see you."

Ruby very nearly fell over.

"W-What?! Me?!"

The woman nodded.

"I'd imagine she'd like to thank you for helping her last night. So please shower and put on your best clothes before you go to the mansion."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

Ruby gave a salute and then dashed off back to the cabin.

She'd never been inside the mansion before – in fact, no stablehand probably ever had.

She did as instructed and showered in one of the cabin's bathrooms, making sure to use an extra bit of shampoo to ensure she'd smell nice. She put on her best pair of jeans and a freshly-washed plaid shirt. She didn't have anything fancy to wear, but Ruby hoped this would be good enough.

After drying her hair and stepping into a clean pair of boots, Ruby hurried outside once more.

She'd never gotten the opportunity to enjoy a day like this without responsibilities, so she savored those few minutes of freedom as best she could as she ran up the path to the Schnee mansion.

She paused briefly to pick a few yellow and purple wildflowers, then tucked them into her pants pocket and covered them with her shirt.

Once she reached the mansion's door, she knocked, and then took a step back, waiting stiffly.

A maid greeted her, a different one from last night, but she seemed to know exactly who Ruby was.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "You're the girl who helped Miss Weiss last night aren't you? Come in, then! Mr. Schnee wanted to see you as well, but he needed to go attend business with the race horses."

The knowledge that she wouldn't have to meet Weiss' father like this eased Ruby's mind a bit as she stepped inside. She removed her boots and left them by the door as the maid instructed her to, so she wouldn't track mud inside.

Ruby had to take a minute to marvel at the interior of the mansion. It was even more spacious on the inside than she'd imagined from seeing it on the outside.

There was a living area with a big couch and some chairs as well as a television. There was a dining hall and several office rooms, where she imagined Weiss had some of her lessons. Paintings and statues of horses lined the walls and shelves, and there was even a large glass display case of medals, trophies, certificates, and other awards Weiss' father had won due to his impressive animals.

Ruby followed the maid up a large staircase, then was directed to Weiss' room.

"It's just down this hall and to your right," she said. "Miss Weiss asked to see you privately, but if it seems she may be sick, please call for assistance."

"Right." Ruby nodded, thanked the maid, and then headed off down the hallway.

It was a bit strange.

Outside, there was constant noise; riders shouting commands, the clomping of hooves, whinnies and nickers, or just the sounds of supplies being moved about.

But in here, everything was peaceful, but almost unnaturally quiet. It made her a bit uncomfortable, and Ruby hurried to Weiss' door.

She paused for a minute to gather her bearings, and then knocked softly four times, the same amount of Weiss always knocked on the stable walls to announce her presence to Ruby at night.

Ruby kept her voice low as she called out.

"Weiss...? Are you awake?"

There was a moment of silence, and Ruby was about to turn away, hoping to let Weiss sleep. But then, a small voice reached her ears from beyond the door.

"Ruby...?" A small cough, then a breath. "Come in..."

Ruby swallowed, suddenly more concerned than nervous, concerned for what kind of state she might find Weiss in.

As she opened the door, Ruby noticed the change in color from the pale hallway to the sky-blue carpets of Weiss' room. There was a desk, a dresser, a closet, and a few windows, but Ruby didn't spend long looking at the furniture.

Her eyes went directly to the bed, covered in clean white blankets. Weiss was lying there on her back, her long, alabaster hair loose beneath her shoulders and pooling on her pillow. Her bright blue eyes blinked open, seeking Ruby out, and her pale lips curled upward into a small smile.

"Ruby..." she sighed. "Thank you for coming..."

Ruby nodded, closing the door behind herself and crossing the room. She hesitated beside Weiss' bed, but the white-haired girl nodded, silently inviting her to have a seat.

Ruby sat on the edge of the bed, hovering over Weiss for a moment to look her over. Her skin was much paler than usual, and her eyes were ridden with exhaustion.

Ruby couldn't stop herself from bending down, and kissed the girl's forehead to check her temperature. Weiss was still warm, but not nearly as bad as she had been last night. Ruby lifted a hand to the girl's cheek and rubbed gently, threading fingers through a few loose strands of her hair.

"Hi, Weiss..." she murmured. "How are you feeling?"

Weiss tried to inhale deeply, but it ended up transforming into a weak cough. Ruby rubbed her free hand in circles over Weiss' collar to calm her down a bit.

"Sorry..." Weiss rasped.

"You don't need to apologize, silly." Ruby kissed her nose, then her cheek. Weiss sighed and tried again to answer her question.

"I feel better," she said. "But I... don't think I'll be able to come out tonight."

Ruby stroked her hair once more.

"Of course not! You shouldn't be coming out for at least a few more days. Maybe even a week. You need to catch up on your rest and focus on your other work. We can't let these night sessions affect your health anymore, Weiss."

She'd meant for her words to reassure Weiss, but Ruby felt dismay creep into her veins when she heard Weiss gasp.

"No..." she panted. "Ruby..."

"Weiss? What's the matter?" She could feel the girl's chest suddenly start to heave, her pulse and breathing speeding up significantly. Ruby's tone rose with alarm. "Weiss, what's wrong? Does something hurt? A-Are you gonna be sick?" Ruby was ready to bolt to the door and call for help.

But Weiss shook her head, slipping one of her arms free from the blankets and reaching toward her with shaking fingers. Ruby used her free hand to gingerly hold onto Weiss' quivering one, her other hand continuing to rub soothing circles over the sick girl's collar.

"Weiss, it's okay. If something's wrong, you can tell me. _Please_..." Ruby leaned down and kissed her again, this time on the lips. "I can't bear to see you like this."

Weiss sighed, and then her voice turned into a whimper. Ruby pulled away a bit and realized she was crying.

"Weiss?! H-Hey, what's-"

"R-Ruby..."

The brunette held her tongue in favor of listening to Weiss' thin voice. She struggled to speak past the sobs, and Ruby moved her hand up from the girl's chest to her cheeks to help dry her tears.

"What is it?" she coaxed.

Weiss shook her head slightly, inhaled sharply.

"This morning... my father came in to see me... I told him your story, that I'd just gone out for a walk and fainted..."

As she fumbled for words, Ruby continued to stroke through her hair and over her cheeks, her other hand squeezing Weiss' gently by means of support and encouragement. After a moment, the white-haired girl went on.

"He told me not to go out for walks at night anymore... then told me he needed to go... to a meeting today. When I asked what kind of meeting it was, he said it was... to discuss trade. He told me which horses he was going to sell, a-and..."

She cut off with another small bout of coughing, and Ruby pressed a kiss to her lips to push air into her lungs. When Weiss could speak again, it was almost inaudible past the sobs.

"He's... going to sell some of the race horses... but he plans to... to euthanize Zuri..."

Ruby felt her heart drop and her stomach twist. Weiss lost herself to her tears, and it was all the brunette could do to bend down in an effort to embrace her.

"What..." she mumbled. "No... h-he can't... Not so soon. I-I mean, not when we've... I mean sh-shouldn't he just sell him? He can just sell him, right? He doesn't have to give him the needle..."

Weiss sobbed again.

"Th-That's... what I tried to tell him... But he told me Zuri has already been to most of the local and in-state ranches. He's been passed around everywhere already. This was the last stop. And since... we couldn't make him better... my father has no other option than to..."

She couldn't finish. Ruby felt a strong shudder go through Weiss' body.

"No..." she whispered. "No, no, no..."

Ruby couldn't believe it. She didn't want to.

A moment passed as she waited for both Weiss and herself to calm down a bit.

"When?" Ruby asked. "How... much longer do we have?"

Weiss choked out the response.

"Two weeks..."

Ruby cursed under her breath and clung closer to Weiss.

Two weeks wasn't nearly enough time to deal with a horse like Zuri. He'd need much more time than that if he was going to be taught to tolerate and work well with humans. Not to mention this sickness would ensure Weiss couldn't get out of bed for at last a few more days.

All in all, they had just about one week to get significant results.

Weiss' voice tapered off as the tears overwhelmed her.

"I-I should've tried sooner..." she gasped. "I should've tried to help him _sooner_. I waited too long..."

"Hey," Ruby murmured. "This isn't your fault, Weiss. _You're_ the one who bothered to give him a chance in the first place. Before you came asking me for help, I didn't have much interest in him either. Maybe we can change your dad's mind still, though. You can groom Zuri and feed him and he doesn't lash out at you. That's good progress for a horse like him."

But Weiss shook her head again.

"It doesn't matter," she rasped. "Zuri will only be of use to my father if he can be ridden. If not, then it's not worth it to keep him alive..."

Ruby growled a bit, sitting up and releasing Weiss from her desperate embrace.

"I won't let him," she declared. "We've already done a lot to change Zuri's disposition for the better. If we showed your father that, it should be enough. At least he might be convinced to push the date back a few more weeks."

"But then... he'd know what I was doing at night," Weiss reminded her. "And then he'd surely get upset. He'd reprimand me, fire you, and probably kill Zuri sooner. My father has an awful temper when it comes to disobedience, especially if it's in regards to his horses."

Weiss closed her eye and draped her forearm over her eyes. "I don't know if we can save him, Ruby. I just don't know..."

And Ruby wasn't sure if they could either. Trying was all they could do.

"We'll do our best," she promised. "But for now, if you can, just rest and don't think about it, Weiss. It'll only stress you out more and then you won't get better. The sooner you're able to get back to working with Zuri, the sooner we can try to save him.

"But first you've _got_ to get better, okay? And not _just_ for Zuri's sake..." She trailed off, and a pink blush dusted over her cheeks. "Get better for me too, okay? Please?"

Weiss moved her arm away from her face and met Ruby's eyes.

"I will," she vowed. "If it means I can try to save him, I'll be sure to get better." Her determined voice softened, as did her eyes. "And if it means I'll get to be with you sooner, I'll get better as quickly as I can."

Ruby smiled, wiping her tears away, and then doing the same for Weiss.

"Okay." She kissed the girl's lips softly. "Just rest for now, Weiss. I'll be there whenever you're ready to come back out."

She stood at last, intending to let Weiss recover for the remainder of the day and all night tonight.

But before she left, Ruby remembered the wildflowers in her pockets. She extracted them and handed them to Weiss.

"Feel better soon."

Touched, Weiss accepted the flowers and brought them close to her chest. Her bright blue eyes flashed up to find silver, sparked with a refurbished determination.

"Thank you, Ruby. For everything."

The stablehand dipped down to kiss her one last time, and then took her leave.

Two weeks was all they had left to get a nearly-impossible amount of work done.

But nothing would get done at all unless they both took this day to recuperate.

They could only do their best.

After all, the clock was ticking even faster now than it had been before.

* * *

 **A/N: I know this always seems to be the plot of any girl-and-horse related story but I'll be giving it my own little twist, I assure you. Also, at this point, the canon has revealed Whitely, but I didn't mention him in this fic in the previous chapters, only Winter, so I'm not going to mention him or add him in.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	6. Proceeding With Caution

**Time is running out for Zuri day by day, but Weiss still needs to recover!**

 **If you like my work, please consider supporting me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 6. Proceeding With Caution

After Ruby had left her, it was rather difficult for Weiss to relax and make an effort to rest.

Her mind was plagued by thoughts of what her father had said, of what was going to happen to her beloved stallion in just two weeks' time.

In retrospect, it really was her own fault for waiting for so long to take action. Had she taken interest in Zuri just a few days earlier and started her private lessons with Ruby a week in advance from when she had, Weiss would've had a much better chance at saving the horse.

But as things were now...

It seemed pretty hopeless.

As she had explained to Ruby previously, Weiss' father was a man who wanted results quickly and efficiently. To put it another way, he was a person who only cared for the destination, not the journey. In his eyes, Zuri had overstayed his welcome at this ranch, and had done next to nothing by means of earning his keep.

As far as her father knew, no one could ride that horse, no one could handle him, and anyone who tried to ended up being chased away or charged at.

She wanted to show him the work she'd done. She wanted to show him her results.

But she knew that Ruby's cautionary words had been right; if Weiss didn't get some rest now, she wouldn't get better as quickly as she might've been able to, which would be more time wasted practicing with the stallion.

So she did her best to calm herself down, trying not to think of the potential chaos looming on the horizon.

Instead, she focused on thoughts of Ruby, of her childish grin and her eyes that sparkled with innocence. She was only one year shy of Weiss' age, but although she had the pure heart of a child, she had the perseverance of an entire team of horses.

Even as Weiss lay there in her bed, she knew Ruby was doing all she could to familiarize Zuri with herself, so that as soon as their private training lessons could start up again, he wouldn't get flustered around Ruby or Weiss.

But until then, Weiss could only wait.

She brought the little wildflowers to her lips and breathed in their scent – grass, soil, freedom.

Weiss closed her eyes, imagining a life she'd only ever dreamed of, riding horses without a care in the world, feeling the wind combing through her hair, running so carefree it could almost be classified as reckless.

She wanted it all so badly, and there was only one horse she'd ever want to be riding when she did it.

With a sigh, she reminded herself there was little more she could do right now – bedridden as she was – other than regain her strength.

It was the memory of Ruby's warm embrace and the soft lips on hers that eventually coaxed Weiss into slumber.

* * *

She didn't go out to see Ruby that night, as expected, but the following morning, Weiss was feeling much better.

She was able to get out of bed and stand on her own, without the assistance of her maid. She got changed, although that was a bit more of a lengthy process that it usually was, considering the slight headaches that still pestered her.

But once she was ready, she made her way downstairs – again, very slowly – and found her father and sister at the breakfast table, surprised to see her up by herself so soon.

Weiss insisted she was better and asked her father to re-schedule her home-schooling lessons that he had previously canceled for the next two days. Weiss knew that missing more than one day of her lessons would only mean much more work would pile up on hers later.

Therefore, she couldn't afford to miss more than one day, not when she had _other_ lessons to attend afterward.

Seeing she was well enough to walk on her own as well as eat, her father agreed to reschedule her lessons.

Weiss worked diligently throughout the day to catch up on missed work, being as attentive as possible as her instructors went about teaching their lectures. When lunchtime struck, Weiss didn't go outside like she so often did, but rather used that time to complete her homework from the first half of the day. She used the evening time to finish the second batch of work she was given in the afternoon, and by eleven at night, she had nothing left to do in terms of assignments.

There was one issue, however; her father had forbidden her from going out on any more "midnight walks" since it was clearly jeopardizing her health.

So Weiss needed to be very cautious as she moved through the mansion that night. When a maid caught her on the staircase, Weiss assured her she was merely going to the kitchen to get some water. Which wasn't a lie, but Weiss simply didn't tell her the _entire_ truth.

She did pick up a bottle of water, and then after checking to ensure no one else would see her, she slipped out the back door.

The night was warm, much warmer than any previous one, and Weiss paused for a moment to take in her first breath of fresh air in two days.

She then hurried down the familiar path, crouching low and moving more secretively whenever she neared a guard's post.

She managed to reach the stables without incident, and hurried to the pen Ruby often called her bedroom. She knocked on the wall three times to indicate her arrival. There was a flurry of motion as Ruby scrambled up, clearly shocked at her appearance.

"Weiss?!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Despite her surprised words, Ruby stood and hurried over to her, throwing her arms around the girl with fervor.

"What, didn't you miss me?" Weiss asked, feigning offense.

"What? No, I mean yeah, of _course_ I did!" Ruby insisted. "It's just..." She took a step back and released Weiss so she may look her over. "Are you really feeling better already? You were really sick, you know! You said it yourself that you were even throwing up and stuff! I think you should rest at _least_ one more night..."

"So you mean to tell me that you want me to hike _all_ the way back to the mansion and back to bed, even after venturing all the way here?"

"I... well, when you put it like _that_..." Ruby trailed off mumbling. Weiss chuckled softly, then stepped forward, cupping the girl's cheeks and pulling her into a soft kiss. When they parted, Ruby's voice was calm and curious. "You're really feeling better?"

"I really am."

"Okay." Ruby walked with her down to Zuri's stall. "I didn't expect you to be coming tonight, so I already groomed and washed and fed him. So there really isn't much else for you to do-"

"There's plenty more," Weiss stopped her. "You can teach me how to saddle him."

Ruby froze in her tracks.

"H-Hold on a second, Weiss. I know we... don't exactly have a lot of time left for this, but you can't ride him right now."

"I didn't say ride. I said saddle," Weiss repeated calmly. "Ruby, I'm going to _have_ to ride him to prove to my father that he can be handled and treated just as well as any other horse can."

"But..." Ruby sighed wretchedly, trailing off for a moment before going on. "I'm... really not sure if he _can_ be ridden. Not on such short notice. You've seen him behaving pretty well because we've only been petting and washing and feeding him.

"But I've seen how he acts the second he gets a saddle put on him, Weiss. He's like a totally different horse. Not even your dad's most trained and professional handlers could get a saddle on him and keep it on for longer than two minutes, let alone _ride_ him with it."

"Ruby." Weiss' voice was firm and unwavering, her piercing blue eyes equally so. "This is a matter of life and death. It really is. If we don't do this... if _I_ don't do this, he's going to be put down for no good reason! I won't stand for that, and I know you won't either, Ruby."

"I know!" the brunette cried. "I know, but..." Her voice tapered off for a moment, and she looked away, down to the floor, then back up to Weiss. Her silver eyes were glistening with water, threatening tears.

"Weiss... I'm just worried you could get hurt, that's all. Seeing you c-collapse like that the other night was really scary. I don't know if I can handle that kind of thing again..."

Weiss was touched to say the very least. Ruby was only being so hesitant about all of this because she was worried about Weiss. It made her heart flutter a bit, and was actually rather flattering in a way.

Weiss could understand; she'd imagine she'd be no different if their positions were reversed.

But she simply couldn't afford to mess this up. If she did, an innocent horse would be killed.

Weiss opened her arms and pulled Ruby in to her, letting her weep freely into her shoulder.

"Ruby, I'll be fine. I won't get sick again – I promise. I know now how to manage my time and my work better. I know that if I put my health at risk again, I'll only delay what we're trying to do here. I refuse to let that happen again." She pressed her lips to Ruby's hair and squeezed her shoulders. "So please, Ruby. Help me do this. Help me save him."

The stablehand sniffled a few more times into Weiss' shoulder until she got her bearings back. She lifted her face, wiped her eyes, and gave a small nod.

"Okay... Just..." Ruby reached a hand up, extending her pinkie. "Just promise me...?"

Weiss' lips curled into a small smile. She slipped one hand around and hooked her pinkie with Ruby's.

"I promise."

Those two words were what convinced Ruby she was serious about this. Weiss wouldn't break a promise, and _especially_ not one she made to her.

Ruby pulled hers and Weiss' hands close to her face, then kissed the older girl's knuckles.

"Okay." She released Weiss' pinkie finger and then clapped once. "All right! Let's do this!"

Ruby ushered Weiss over to the storage room, but they weren't here to retrieve brushes and buckets this time. Ruby led the way to a wall where various saddles, reins, and crops were hung up on hooks or stacked in piles. She selected one of the bigger saddles and handed it to Weiss and took a bridle for herself before they headed back toward the stallion's pen.

Ruby unlocked the door and slid it open, beckoning Weiss to follow her inside. Their presence roused the horse, and he snorted with a shake of his head. The instant he saw the saddle in Weiss' hands, he grunted and took a few steps back.

Ruby threw her hand out in front of Weiss to stop her.

"He knows we're gonna try to put it on him. And he knows from past experience that he doesn't like it. Maybe we shouldn't..."

But Weiss shook her head.

"We've got to try." She moved around Ruby's outstretched hand and approached the stallion, keeping the saddle behind her back. "Good boy," she cooed. "I just want to try something, that's all."

Weiss stepped cautiously forward, but Zuri stepped back until he was against the wall. Weiss paused and moved away, not wanting to corner him, lest he lash out in fear. She waited patiently, and Ruby tried to keep her anxiety levels to a minimum as she watched the two of them.

Once Zuri had stepped away from the wall, Weiss tried to move close again, but he immediately cornered himself once more. Weiss retreated again and dropped the saddle.

"Let's put the bridle on first," she suggested.

Ruby nodded.

The next time the stallion stepped forward, Weiss reached out to pet his neck by means of soothing him, and Ruby then handed her the bridle. She instructed Weiss on how to go about putting it over his head and nose, warning her to be careful.

The horse snorted distastefully when the bit went into his mouth, but aside from a few tosses of his head, his reaction to this wasn't as bad as his reaction to the saddle. Weiss secured the bridle without much incident, then patted his head and scratched his ears.

"Good boy. Now let's try this again."

She handed Ruby the reins and then picked the saddle up again. With the bridle and reins now keeping him still in Ruby's grasp, Weiss managed to drape the saddle over his back.

But the horse stepped sideways, bumping his flank against the wall to dislodge it and it rolled off his back, landing beneath his belly. Weiss knew better than to duck down beneath the legs of an agitated horse, so she waited until he moved himself away before retrieving it.

She tried again, once more slipping it onto his back. Ruby instructed her how to fasten the clips underneath.

But just as Weiss was about to kneel down to get to work, a cry from Ruby had her reeling backward. The stallion used one of his front legs to paw the air, aiming his hoof for Weiss. He missed her by just a few inches, but there was no doubt in her mind that had it not been for Ruby, he would've struck her in the face.

"Weiss!" Ruby gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she sighed, getting to her feet. "But I've seen quite enough."

"Huh? What do you-?"

Ruby didn't finish her question, puzzled as she watched the other girl.

Weiss dusted herself off and removed the saddle, then purposefully let it drop to the floor with a thud. Zuri watched her do this, feeling the uncomfortable pressure being lifted off his spine. Weiss stepped close to him, confident rather than cautious now as she ran her hands all up and down his back and sides.

"I understand," she murmured to him. "If you don't want a saddle, then I won't make you wear one."

"Weiss...?" Ruby gulped, fearing she knew where this was going.

Weiss looked up to meet her eyes, an eager smile on her face.

"If he won't use a saddle, then I'll just have to learn to ride him bareback."

There was a beat of silence, then another, and another.

Then, Ruby audibly whimpered, shaking her head vigorously as she let go of the reins.

"Weiss, nonononooo! You can't ride _him_ of all horses bareback!"

"Well, it doesn't seem like anyone's able to ride him _with_ a saddle, right? So I'd think bareback would be a logical option. He clearly doesn't like the feeling of a saddle on him."

"But! ...Okay, even if you're right about that, you've never even ridden _with_ a saddle before! Do you know how difficult it'll be to try and ride for the first time in your life and have it be _bareback?_ "

"It's the only way, Ruby. You've said it yourself how unruly he gets whenever someone puts a saddle on him to try and mount him. So why not try it without a saddle? He allows the reins, so I'll have plenty of control."

"But still!" Ruby cried. "The saddle is mainly for the rider's protection to prevent you from falling off. Without it, you're _much_ more likely to get hurt!"

"I don't intend to run or jump with him on the first night, Ruby," Weiss explained. "I'll just walk him for a while. Nothing more."

"B-But you can't be sure he won't-"

"Ruby, _please_..." Weiss gazed earnestly into her eyes, then reached down to squeeze her hands. "This is the _only_ feasible way we can do this. Just let me try it once. Let me walk him around the abandoned corral. If I can't do it, then I'll try the saddle again, all right?"

Ruby flashed her eyes from Weiss to the horse and back again. She bit her lip, still uncertain beyond words about all of this.

But as Weiss had said earlier, this was a matter of life and death.

This was their last chance...

She swallowed hard, but nodded in the end.

"Okay..." she sighed. "But not tonight, Weiss. Please. You're still recovering from being sick and I don't want you to get dizzy or something. Please just wait until tomorrow night, okay?"

Weiss was silent as she considered the suggestion, and nodded.

"All right. I'll wait until tomorrow, then."

Ruby visibly relaxed, releasing a sigh as her shoulders loosened up.

"Thank you, Weiss."

"No. Thank _you_ , Ruby. I never could've hoped to do any of this without you."

Weiss cupped her cheeks once more and kissed her. Ruby hummed a little, content to let her hands roam up Weiss' waist, over her ribs, rubbing her sides slowly.

There was a surety in that kiss, a reassurance that this could be possible if they worked hard enough for it. They were in this together, and whether they failed or succeeded, they'd face the results side by side.

There was a comfort in that knowledge, in the fact that they could rely on one another no matter what happened.

Even if her father caught them and fired Ruby for meddling, Weiss still intended to date her, even if it meant meeting her off the property on weekends or something like that.

And Ruby didn't intend to stop seeing her, either.

It was just a matter of saving an innocent horse from a premature and senseless death.

Once the two girls parted, Weiss removed the bridle from Zuri's muzzle and head, gave him a few more pats and scratches, and then the pair took their leave.

As they walked back to the storage room to put the saddle and bridle away, Ruby tossed around a few ideas.

"Maybe I'll try to ride with you," she offered. "Not on Zuri, but I mean I'll take another horse and try to help you out and lead you guys around. I've seen people do it enough times, so I'm sure I can mount and ride a horse like Ebony no problem! Plus, I think the presence of another horse there would calm Zuri down a bit."

"Ebony's a good choice," Weiss agreed. "She's very mellow, and you're right. I think she could help him relax."

Once they had finished discussing plans and putting things away, the two girls shared one last kiss for the night.

"Get some rest," Ruby murmured, kissing her scarred cheek. Weiss nodded and kissed the bridge of her nose.

"I will. You do the same."

Their lips bumped again briefly before they parted.

"Goodnight, Weiss."

"Sleep well, Ruby."

Weiss turned away and headed back toward the mansion.

Ruby watched her for as long as she could to ensure the girl didn't collapse again, but was satisfied when she saw Weiss reach the door of the mansion several minutes later.

She then retreated to her empty stall and flopped down onto the hay bail she called her bed, wrapping her red blanket around her shoulders and cushioning her head with a corner of it.

She didn't know how things would work out tomorrow night, but she knew she'd have to be on high alert if Weiss really intended to ride bareback for the first time in her life. And Ruby was going to ride for the first time too, even if it would be under the cloak of night and in an abandoned old corral.

A lot would be put to risk tomorrow, a lot more than they'd been putting to risk until now.

But their days were dwindling, and the final stretch was upon them. They needed to show results that would blow Mr. Schnee away, or else innocent blood would be on their hands.

Ruby gulped and curled in on herself, imagining Weiss was much the same way right now.

 _We won't let that happen,_ Ruby vowed. _We're gonna save him._

* * *

 **A/N: Ruby and Weiss decide to set their plan in motion for real. Of course riding bareback for her first time is a risky choice for Weiss.**

 **If you like my work, please consider supporting me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	7. Midnight Ride

**Ruby and Weiss are finally going to have their first riding session. How will it go?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 7. Midnight Ride

The following day seemed to drag for Weiss, more slowly than any day she could ever recall living through before.

She knew it was because of the fact that tonight she would be making her first ever attempt at riding, so the anticipation was slowing down the felt time to keep her away from that event for as long as possible.

She was admittedly distracted all day with thoughts of what was to come that night, even to the point where her instructors would occasionally ask her to focus on the lectures.

At lunch time, Weiss finished her assignments for the first half of the morning with time to spare, so she took her sandwich and her bottle of water down to the corral.

Ruby was already there, watching the horses and their trainers. The second she saw Weiss approaching, Ruby jumped dow from her perch on the fence and beckoned her over, looking flustered rather than excited.

"Weiss! C'mere, look!"

Weiss hurried over, not sure what to expect, but what she _did_ end up seeing mad her angry.

Several people were attempting to bring Zuri into the corral. Weiss realized her father was standing nearby, observing the ordeal. She suddenly understood that he was giving the stallion one final chance, but if her father didn't like what he saw here today, the horse's fate would be sealed.

And Weiss knew for a fact that her father wouldn't see what he wanted to see.

Because these people were handling the horse all wrong. He only had the reins on his head, and they'd wrapped black cloth over his eyes to keep him from panicking. One young man was carrying a large brown saddle, and he made an attempt to place it over the stallion's back.

"No-!"

Weiss and Ruby both whimpered in unison as they predicted what was going to happen.

Sure enough, the stallion bucked a bit, sending up a flurry of dust and earning surprised shouts all around. He shook the saddle off and beat his hooves into the dirt repeatedly, snorting and grunting.

Weiss felt her heart seize as she looked to her father. He was shaking his head, and then said something to the man beside him. The other people gathered up the fallen saddle and led the flustered stallion back to the stables, and Weiss watched as her father headed off in the opposite direction.

When it was all over, the reality sunk in and hit harder than it ever had before.

They... didn't have a lot of time.

Weiss put a hand to her forehead and sighed, trying to keep her emotions in check and the tears at bay. A gentle pat on the back from Ruby didn't make her feel as good as she knew it should've, but at the very least it confirmed she wasn't in this alone.

"Hey..." Ruby murmured. "Weiss, we're still going to help him, remember? These guys don't know what they're doing, but _we_ do. Don't forget you're going to ride him tonight."

Last night, it had been Ruby who had been having second thoughts about all of this, and Weiss had been the one to convince her to go through with it. And now that it was Weiss who was having second thoughts, Ruby was the one giving her that little push she needed to keep going.

Weiss flashed a glance to her side and offered a faint smile.

"You're right. I made a commitment. I made a promise."

Ruby checked to make sure no straying eyes were upon them before she pulled Weiss into a brief embrace.

After that, they tried to go about having lunch as per usual, leaning against the white fence and watching the riding lessons. Ruby changed the topic of conversation into an unexpected one for sure.

"Hey, Weiss. Have you ever heard a coyote before?"

Weiss finished swallowing her bite of the sandwich and gave her a puzzled look.

"Not that I can recall. Why do you ask?"

"Well, they've been saying there's a pack wandering around in the woods back there. Last night I heard a bunch of weird noises echoing down and I had no idea what it was at the time. But when I asked around this morning, that's what everyone said."

"I see," Weiss murmured. "Well, we've never had an issue with them in the past. There's plenty of security and such to fend off pesky humans, let alone a few stray dogs."

"Yeah! I was just thinking last night... when I heard them making all those creepy noises, how-" But Ruby quickly cut herself off, slapping a palm to her mouth. "I-I mean, n-never mind."

"Hm? Come now, Ruby. You can't just stop there." Weiss inched a bit closer to her, until their shoulders brushed. "Tell me."

Ruby turned her face away to hide a slight blush.

"I was just... thinking how nice it might've been to um... to maybe not be alone at night. That's all..."

Weiss blinked, then chuckled a bit.

"You _do_ have a cabin to sleep in, you know."

"I know," Ruby mumbled. "That's not what I meant, b-but it's okay! Just forget I ever said anything!" she squeaked.

Weiss nodded, resting her forehead briefly against the brunette's.

They finished their lunches and headed back to their respective tasks for the remainder of the day.

When suppertime rolled around, Weiss had already managed to finish her assignments, so from then on it was a waiting game.

As soon as she heard her father's door close that night, Weiss headed out early, slipping through and out of the mansion unnoticed.

She arrived earlier than expected, and found Ruby dozing on her favorite hay bail. Weiss didn't wake her right away, but rather watched her fondly, wanting to allow her a few more minutes of sleep before they'd have to start their training.

Weiss stepped lightly as she crossed the floor of the stall, and she managed to sit down on the hay where Ruby was lying on her back.

Reaching down, Weiss curled the tips of her nails through the girl's bangs, the pads of her fingers tracing her cheeks. Then, Weiss leaned down to wake her with a kiss.

She felt Ruby gasp onto her lips as she was pulling away, and Weiss quickly pressed a finger to the girl's lips to silence her.

"Surprise," she winked. "I'm here early."

Ruby's eyes flashed brightly at the sight of her and a smile split her lips. She shot up and hugged Weiss tightly, nuzzling affectionately into her shoulder as she greeted her.

But they both knew they had other things to do right now.

They headed to the storage room, where each of them picked out a bridle, but only Ruby took a saddle.

When they went to the horses, Ruby was sure to help Weiss with Zuri, patting his shoulder to keep him calm as Weiss slipped and fastened the bridle into place.

But the stallion was used to the bridle being followed by a saddle, and in an effort to avoid the potential of the latter being placed on him, he charged Weiss a few steps. Weiss jumped back and put her hands up.

"Easy, boy," she murmured. "I'm not going to put that dirty thing on your back." She motioned Ruby to move aside, and instead, Weiss ran her bare hands over the stallion's spine, back and forth. "See? No saddle for you. I promise."

When he realized there wasn't going to be anything thrown onto his back, the horse seemed to relax a bit. Once he'd calmed down, Ruby stepped forward and took Weiss' wrist, bringing her back a few steps.

"Are you okay?" she checked. "He didn't hit you, did he?"

"I'm fine, Ruby."

Weiss knew the girl was only concerned for her wellbeing and didn't mean to make the stallion out to be a villain as everyone else seemed to think he was. But Weiss knew better; he was merely misunderstood and treaded a slightly different path that what the "good" horses trotted.

After that, Ruby instructed Weiss to stay in the stallion's pen and keep ahold of his reins.

In the meantime, Ruby took the other bridle and the saddle she'd selected and hurried off to Ebony's stall. The mare nickered happily at the sight of her, and Ruby slipped inside and hugged her neck in greeting.

She'd only ever saddled a horse a few times in the two years she'd been working here, but she'd seen it done enough times to make her performance now last no longer than a minute. She fastened the straps and buckles beneath the black mare's belly, then pulled the bridle on over her head.

"Good girl!" Ruby cooed, taking hold of the reins.

She slid open the door, then peered outside. Weiss was standing at Zuri's stall, waiting for her cue. With a nod, Ruby stepped out, leading Ebony with her. Weiss did the same, guiding the bareback stallion from his pen.

Ruby waited as Weiss brought him toward her. Ebony stretched her neck out to sniff the white horse as he was brought up beside her. Weiss could instantly see the stallion's demeanor change, his shoulders becoming a bit less tense. It was nerve-racking for him to be taken out of his pen at such an odd hour, but the mare's presence served to make things better, as Ruby had predicted.

The two girls waited for a moment as the horses greeted one another, and then it was time to move.

"I'll go first," Ruby muttered. "If anyone gets caught, it's gonna be me."

She led Ebony to the end of the stables, then paused. Ruby was more than familiar with where the guards were posted, and not many were positioned near the abandoned corral since it was no longer of importance. The only risk would be getting the horses over a dozen or so feet of open dirt to reach the pathway.

Ruby waited, keeping the mare behind her in the stables, until she spotted the two guards on-duty nearby. They appeared to be conversing together, carefree at their posts atop one of the worker's cabins.

Ruby held her breath, then made her move.

She pulled Ebony along with her, and Weiss was ready to move right behind them. She led Zuri out as well, and together, the two horses and humans crossed the open space without a hitch before the bushes and shrubs lining the old, beaten path provided shelter.

The night cloaked them well, though there was the distant glow of some of the lights on the property, as well as the silver moonlight above to see by.

Weiss and Ruby both let out sighs of relief and remembered to breathe again.

From then on, it was just a 2-minute walk to a fenced-in corral of open space.

Weiss had never had business being down here before, but she could see why it was an architectural fluke. It was less than half the size of the main corral where lessons were held now, and with the number of students, instructors, and horses they had, a much larger space than the one before Weiss now was certainly required.

But this corral was like a blessing for Ruby and herself now, for all intents and purposes. There was even a hurdle near the center, and although Weiss could tell it was broken, it would still serve its purpose.

Ruby paused at the gate and unlocked it, then weaved herself and her horse through it and into the open corral. Weiss followed her lead, falling back to lock the gate behind Zuri after he'd gotten through.

Once she was inside, it was like being in another world.

Weiss had only ever been on the inside of a corral a few times in her life, and that had only been to stand with her father or watch others ride.

But now, it was _her_ turn to ride.

The realization hit her like a galloping horse might. Weiss was finally going to live her dream.

But first, Ruby beckoned her over.

"Let me help you with mounting," she said. "It'll be tough without a saddle."

Weiss nodded, noticing her heart was pounding in anticipation. She followed Ruby's instructions as the stablehand held onto the stallion's reins and got down on one knee.

Weiss reached up around the horse's neck as best she could. She stepped on Ruby's knee to help boost herself up, then managed to slide one leg over his back. Her fingers gripped his mane - a mane she herself had combed and ensured to be spotless.

Slowly, Weiss straightened her posture, testing the friction beneath her thighs. She was certain that having a saddle between herself and the horse would've made it much easier to get a grip on him, but as things were now, his fur was sleek and slippery. Weiss shifted until she found a better position.

She and Ruby both had half expected the stallion to protest being mounted. But he seemed rather unaffected by Weiss' weight on his back.

It was a big step forward, that was for sure.

"Easy..." Ruby mumbled to him, just for good measure. Slowly, she handed Weiss the reins. "Okay. Now if he starts to move, just pull him back. Don't start moving until I'm up, too."

Weiss nodded, her heart still thudding in her chest. She still couldn't believe she'd made it this far without falling off or being tossed.

It certainly wouldn't have been much of a challenge for the stallion. If he'd wanted to get rid of her, he easily could have done so by now.

She could feel the sheer power of the animal beneath her – taut, rippling muscles beneath sleek, coarse fur. There was a lot to observe about someone else riding a horse, but even more when it was she herself who was riding. She could feel every twitch of his body, notice every flick of his tail, every jerk of his head.

Weiss stilled herself and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the stallion. She wanted to form that bond, that connection between horse and rider, that link Zuri had never gotten the chance to form in the past with anyone else.

Weiss was determined to be successful with it. She had to be.

She could definitely sense something in him. He was standing still just as she intended him to.

Experimentally, Weiss loosened her grip on the reins just a bit. The horse took a step forward, but when she tightened her grip, he stopped again. A surge of excitement went through her, and Weiss wondered if he could feel it as well.

By the time she'd opened her eyes again, Ruby had mounted Ebony. This was also her first time riding, but she already looked like a natural, proud and eager.

"Okay!" she called over to Weiss. "Let's just try walk them a bit. Just a few laps around the corral."

Weiss gave a nod, then loosened the reins.

It was a bit too much at first, as Zuri started to trot a bit quickly. Weiss gave a slight tug to slow him down, then guided him into a walk.

Ruby gave a small kick to Ebony's flank to get her going, moving her beside Zuri. The mare's presence once again calmed down the hyper young stallion, and he didn't try to bolt anymore.

Weiss was sure to pet him all the while, offering praise in a soft tone. Ruby did the same, enjoying the feeling of being up so high, feeling the horse moving beneath her. Her hips instantly got used to the swaying motions, the slight bobbing up and down as they moved. Ebony's fur was tinted silver beneath the moonlight, and when she glanced to Zuri, his white coat seemed to glow a bit.

But her eyes were naturally drawn to Weiss, and that's where they stayed.

Her ponytail looked exactly like its namesake, sparkling with starlight as it flowed out behind her. Her pale skin was aglow, and her blue eyes shimmered.

Ruby's heart lifted simply at the sight of Weiss living her dream.

Every breath Weiss took was excited and enthralled, every movement she made almost seemed ethereal. She was enchanting to say the very least.

Ruby kept their horses close together as they lapped the ring once, then twice. Zuri never acted up or did anything Weiss didn't permit him to.

Ruby was almost convinced she was watching a different horse. She was nothing short of astounded at the difference the lack of a saddle made for him.

But most of all, she was proud of Weiss for giving him this chance to shine, for believing in him and for risking herself for his sake.

They only walked that night, occasionally turning the horses around so Weiss could get the feel of changing directions. Ruby could tell the other girl was good at steering just by the way her elbows moved. All it took was a slight tug to turn a horse around, and Weiss did nothing excessive in order to do so.

They talked quietly together, first about the horses as Ruby shared tips for riding.

But as the night went on, their conversations took on a more carefree tone.

They talked about how they'd ride together like this from now on every night, and eventually during the day as well.

This was all they needed to show Weiss' father in order to convince him not to euthanize the stallion.

They'd very nearly reached their goal.

"The sooner we show him, the better," Weiss declared.

"Right! Do you think you want to do it tomorrow?"

Weiss was silent as she thought for a moment.

"Perhaps the day after," she decided. "I want to ride Zuri for one more night, just to be certain tonight wasn't a fluke."

"Yeah. Got'cha."

That was a better idea. Riding him again tomorrow would prove that Weiss could ride him anytime, and hadn't just happened to luck out tonight.

The moon had shifted overhead by now, and Ruby eventually brought Ebony to a halt.

"We should head back," she said.

Weiss had been lost in a trance until now, and Ruby's voice pulled her out of it. She seemed to realize just how long they'd been at this, and Weiss stopped her horse as well.

"You're right," she sighed.

"Don't worry. We'll do it again tomorrow night!"

Weiss smiled and gave a nod.

Ruby dismounted first, landing in the dirt with a thud as dust floated up around her boots. Weiss slipped off shortly afterward, then took hold of the reins.

They walked the horses out of the corral, and once more, Ruby took the lead back to the stables. They all passed by under the guards' radar once more, and made it safely back to the stables.

The girls put their horses back into their respective stalls, removed the equipment, and met back in the storage room to put everything away.

Once they'd finished and stepped back out into the main hall, Weiss pulled Ruby into a fervent hug.

"Thank you, Ruby!" she whispered. "That... That was just... so incredible... I was magical," she sighed.

Ruby happily squeezed her back, nestling her face into the crook of Weiss' neck.

"It really was! I've never had so much fun before, _especially_ not from breaking rules!"

"Me either," Weiss chuckled.

Silence fell for a moment, and Ruby closed her eyes, breathing in Weiss' scent. She turned her head to one side, and her ear picked up on the faint pulse of Weiss' heart, still fast and excited. The white-haired girl spoke again before long.

"We've really done it," she said. "We've done it, Ruby. All it took was a bit of understanding and tossing aside the saddle. I can't believe no one has ever bothered to work with him like this before."

"I guess no one even considered it," Ruby shrugged. "At this ranch, we only teach and ride with saddles. I don't think any of the professionals ever considered bareback for him." She pulled back a few inches to look up into Weiss' eyes. "That's why you're so incredible, Weiss. No one else ever thought to do that. No one else ever _cared_ enough to give him another chance. But _you_ did."

She kissed Weiss softly, almost like a silent "thank you" for all she had done, for her courage in her intentions to confront her father.

Weiss hummed against her lips, then brushed her nose to Ruby's cheek.

Ruby would've loved to continue with this, but she needed to take a step back.

"Waaah, sorry, Weiss! All that bouncing around on the horse did me in. Nature calls! I'll be right back!"

With that, Ruby scurried off toward the workers' cabin and disappeared inside. Weiss chuckled and rolled her eyes.

She retreated to the pen Ruby slept in and sat down on the hay bail beside the red blanket there. She closed her eyes, only intending to nap for a moment...

When Ruby returned, she was confused when she didn't find Weiss where she'd left her in the hall.

"Did she go back to the mansion?" she pouted. "I didn't get to say goodnight..."

Ruby trudged back to her vacant pen and nearly stumbled at the sight before her.

Weiss was there, sitting on the hay bail, slumped lightly against the wall – undoubtedly asleep. Ruby smiled and tiptoed in to take a seat beside her. She pulled Weiss close to her, letting the girl rest her head on Ruby's shoulder rather than the hard wooden wall. Ruby rested her chin atop Weiss' head and rubbed her back softly, feeling each and every breath as it entered and left her body.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, until Ruby could feel herself slipping. It was then she made an effort to rouse Weiss, shaking her shoulder gently.

"Weiss? Hey... I think you should go back now."

Weiss stirred a bit, but didn't open her eyes.

"Mn..." she rasped. "No... it's okay. I'll stay here, Ruby..."

The brunette's eyes went wide.

"Huh? No, Weiss you gotta go back inside! You can't sleep here!"

It was only then Weiss opened her eyes, meeting Ruby's gaze.

"It's all right," she mumbled. "I want to stay here with you tonight. I don't think I'd be able to-" A yawn interrupted her before she went on. "I don't think I'd be able to make it back on my own. And you're too exhausted to carry me. So I'll just... stay here with you." She leaned back into Ruby's side. "And besides... you said you didn't want to be alone..."

Ruby knew she'd been found out, and she couldn't find any more reason to protest.

"A-All right..." she whispered. "I'll wake you up early though so you can get back to your room before your dad gets up."

Weiss nodded and gave a small hum.

"Thank you, Ruby..."

After that, Weiss was silent and still.

Carefully, Ruby laid the girl down on the bed of hay bails, smoothing out the sharper sticks to keep them away from Weiss' face. She rolled Weiss onto her back and pulled her ponytail over the front of her shoulder, so her hair wouldn't get tangled in the hay.

Ruby laid down beside her, unfolding her blanket and draping it over the both of them. Gently, she laid her head down over the older girl's collar, using Weiss' heartbeat as her pillow.

It was immensely comforting for her after two years of sleeping alone.

Even if coyotes started to howl that night, Ruby wouldn't have minded.

Just two more days and they'd have all of this sorted out for good.

Ruby pressed close to Weiss' warmth, wrapping her arms around the girl as she sighed. She took in the smell of hay and grass mixed with Weiss' natural scent, and the result had her drifting off within seconds.

The night swept over them, casting dusty moonbeams through the rafters to shine down on the two girls.

Before long, dawn would break, but for now they slept without a care in the world.

* * *

 **A/N: Success! Weiss managed to ride Zuri without a hitch! Soon she and Ruby can reveal everything to Weiss' father!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	8. Setback

**People predicted I wouldn't let things simply go that smoothly. Guess I'm getting a bit predictable :3c**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 8. Setback

When morning came, Weiss was roused by a gentle hand, and an even gentler kiss.

The first sense that came back to her was scent, and she automatically remembered she'd fallen asleep in the stables last night, the smells of horses and hay filling her lungs. When she blinked open her eyes, she was met with two pools of silver and a rosy smile.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead," Ruby murmured.

Weiss let out a yawn, then groaned as she made an attempt to sit herself up, feeling the kinks and cracks that went through her back as she did so. Sleeping on a hay bail for one night after seventeen years of sleeping on a mattress was certainly a new experience for her, and Weiss twisted around a bit to stretch out.

Ruby helped her up, then stood and shook out the blanket.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" she wondered.

Weiss staggered to her feet and ran a hand through her bangs.

"Actually, yes. Much better than I thought I would," she confessed. She glanced around the stables, noting the dim lighting that was slipping in through the rafters and walls. By peering out the far doors, she could tell that the sun had yet to rise, but the sky was just taking on a pale brightness.

"Oh yeah," Ruby said. "I woke you a bit early so you'd have time to get back to you room before anyone else woke up. I also gotta shower first before I start feeding the horses."

"I see..." Weiss sounded dejected in a way, certainly reluctant to leave so soon. Ruby smiled and suddenly changed her mind.

"Oooor~" she hummed. "I could feed them first and then shower later~"

Weiss perked up a bit and shared a knowing look with her.

"That sounds perfectly acceptable."

And so she followed Ruby around to each horse's stall, helping her fill their dishes with oats and bowls with water. Weiss poured everything for Zuri on her own as per Ruby's instructions.

By the time they'd finished feeding all of the horses, the sun had just peeked above the horizon.

Weiss pulled Ruby into one last hug before heading off back toward the mansion, being sure to keep out of sight. Ruby retreated to the workers' cabin to shower, excitement thick on the air as dawn graced the world.

* * *

Unlike yesterday, this day passed by rather quickly for Weiss.

She did something she'd never done before and drowned out her teachers as they lectured away. Her left hand continued to absentmindedly take notes, but that was more of a force of habit than a conscious decision.

She'd never been terribly attentive during these lessons due to her lack of interest in the topics being forcibly thrown at her, but today she was even less responsive than usual. She didn't ask any questions, but rather lost herself in her daydreams and memories of last night.

Her mind kept going back to the thoughts of how wondrous it had been to ride alongside Ruby for the very first time just ten hours earlier, their horses walking calmly and happily beside one another.

And tonight, she'd get to do it all over again.

At lunchtime, she finished her morning assignments before hurrying outside into the warm, spring day. She met with Ruby behind the stables and kissed her in secrecy, eager in anticipation for the coming evening.

They watched the lessons as per their usual routine, returned to their respective tasks, and the next thing Weiss knew, she was back at the stables under the cover of darkness.

Ruby greeted her eagerly, and together they hurried to the storage room to pick up their necessary equipment.

They made quick work of preparing their horses, though Weiss did spare an extra moment to loop her arms around Zuri's neck and pet through his mane.

"Don't worry," she murmured. "You're going to stay right here. I won't let them hurt you."

She grasped the reins, and at Ruby's cue, began moving him out of his stall.

Once more, the stablehand took the lead with Ebony. She waited at the stable's exit, looking across the open space they'd need to cross in order to reach the old corral.

Cautiously, Ruby took a few steps outside, intent to scurry across the soil as quickly as possible so she may hide behind the shrubbery.

But for one reason or another, Ebony let out a friendly whinny, perhaps in greeting to one of the nearby guards.

And he heard her.

Ruby froze in place as she noticed a shadow move, and her heart leapt into her throat. Quickly, she turned around and waved a motion at Weiss, silently telling her not to come out.

Weiss bit her lip and held her breath as she stepped back into the stables, guiding Zuri with her until they were out of sight. She felt her stomach twist; if one of the guards found Ruby using the horses at night without permission, she could be reported to Weiss' father and very possibly fired.

Ruby hadn't made an effort to run away from the guards, for if she'd went back to the stables, Weiss would have been exposed as well. The white-haired girl could only press a palm to her mouth and try not to make a sound, listening to the words coming from outside.

The guard's voice still sounded far away, like he was still at his post and hadn't come down.

"You there," he called. "What are you doing with that horse?"

Ruby thought quickly, using an explanation she'd idly toyed with in her mind in case something of this nature occurred.

"Oh! Sorry to bother you! Ebony here was just getting a little antsy in her stall. I fell asleep in the stables and I could hear her fidgeting all night, and I just figured I'd take her for a short walk to work off some excess energy. Turns out she was a bit gasy, but I think she's all better now!"

Luckily for Ruby, the guard remained at his post – at least from there he wouldn't be able to tell that the black mare had a saddle and bridle on her. If the guard had noticed those details, Ruby would have been in a lot more trouble.

But he didn't seem to notice them, and the mention of which horse it was seemed to breed sympathy in his voice.

"I hope she feels better."

"Oh yeah! She's much better now! I was actually just gonna bring her back in. Sorry for all the trouble!"

The guard gave her a dismissive wave. With a loud gulp, Ruby began leading the mare back into the stables.

By the time she walked in, Ruby's legs were trembling from the experience she'd just had; she was still relieved she'd actually made it out without incident. She passed Weiss who had hidden with Zuri off to one side, and Ruby paused in front of her with a sigh.

"I don't think we can go out tonight," she said. "Or at least not for another hour or so."

Weiss nodded in understanding.

"All right. That's fine. We can just go from midnight until one in the morning, or even just half an hour," she decided. "And let me commend you on your quick thinking. That act you gave was rather convincing. I'm impressed."

Ruby gave a sheepish smile, seeming to feel less anxious now that Weiss had complimented her and the ordeal was over.

"Thanks~" she chuckled. "C'mon, let's put these guys back for now."

They returned their horses to their stalls, but left the equipment on them for now. As Weiss was putting Zuri back into his pen, he seemed to nicker in protest, as though he were pouting and wanted to go back outside.

"I'm sorry," Weiss sighed, patting his shoulder. "Not just yet. Those guards might be looking for us if they were suspicious of Ruby's story. Just another hour or so, all right?" She rubbed up and down the horse's muzzle for a minute, scratching up between his ears.

A soft knock on the wall told her Ruby had put Ebony away and was waiting for her. Weiss left the stallion and slipped out of the pen, sliding the door closed behind her and locking it.

She followed Ruby back to her own stall, where the hay bails were waiting for them.

Ruby sat down and patted the space beside her. Weiss walked slowly over and sighed as she took a seat. Ruby's smile instantly faded when she realized how distressed Weiss was by all of this. Her fingers crept over the back of the older girl's hand, stroking gently.

"Hey..." she murmured. "It'll be okay, Weiss. Even if we can't ride tonight, or tomorrow or the day after for some reason, we'll still have three more days. We'd have to be intercepted or have our plans thwarted five nights in a row.

"And even if that _did_ happen, you could just stop your dad from doing anything hasty on the morning they're supposed to euthanize Zuri. You can swoop in right at the last second and climb on his back and ride away into the sunset! ...Well, okay maybe not really. But you see my point."

Weiss flashed her an appreciative glance.

"Right. We've still got several days left where I can show our progress to my father," she agreed. "I just... I don't know. I don't have a good feeling for some reason..."

Ruby whimpered slightly, not knowing what to make of this. She moved a few inches closer to Weiss, until she could slip an arm around her back.

"It'll be fine. You've already come so far with Zuri. You can _ride_ him! Your dad won't be able to deny that when he sees it with his own two eyes! That's something _no one_ else has been able to do, not just in the time Zuri's been at our ranch, but _ever!_

"No one else in all the places they've passed him around to was able to so much as pet him, let alone ride him! I've said it before and I'll say it again – you're really incredible, Weiss. You're gonna save that horse's life."

Her words seemed to have the intended affect on Weiss. The girl finally cracked a smile.

"Thank you, Ruby. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I couldn't do so myself."

Weiss lifted a hand to the brunette's cheek and pulled her in, bumping their lips together. Ruby's hands went to Weiss' hips, pulling her in as the white-haired girl looped her arms around the stablehand's shoulders.

Weiss didn't want to think about losing Zuri due to her own thoughtlessness. But it had been a thought she'd had to consider many times now.

But even if she did lose her horse, at the very least she would still have Ruby. It would be but a grain of comfort in a sea of pain, but that was better than nothing.

Still, Weiss didn't want to think bad thoughts right now.

She focused on Ruby, on the way her lips brushed against hers, on the way the girl's breath tasted faintly of strawberry-flavored toothpaste.

When she pulled back from the kiss, Weiss rested her chin on the girl's shoulder and let brown locks tickle her nose. Ruby smelled naturally of roses, a faint, velvety scent that put Weiss' troubled heart at ease without much effort.

Ruby held her close, running her hands slowly up and down Weiss' back. Gradually, she laid them both down on their sides in the hay, keeping Weiss in her arms.

"It's gonna be okay," she kept murmuring. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Weiss closed her eyes and willed herself to believe those words.

Ruby felt it when Weiss fell asleep, when her breathing slowed and her body lost its tension. Ruby closed her eyes as well, opting to let her sleep for a while.

Ruby herself ended up dozing off a bit, but not entirely. She was still alert enough to feel when Weiss jolted suddenly in her arms.

Ruby's eyes flew open, finding herself back in her pen with Weiss whimpering in her arms. Her brow was creased in distress, her chest heaving, and Ruby could feel her heart thumping through her back.

"Weiss-"

Just as she called her name to wake the girl, Weiss' eyes shot open and she gasped.

"N-No!"

"Weiss? Weiss, calm down!" Ruby reached out when Weiss tried to stand, gently guiding her back down. Ruby wrapped her arms around the shaking girl, offering soft motions and sympathetic words. "It's okay, Weiss. It was just a bad dream."

She felt it clearly when Weiss' labored breathing didn't improve, but worsened. The girl dropped her head onto Ruby's shoulder and sobbed.

Ruby didn't need to ask her what the dream had been about. Weiss answered that herself in choked whispers.

"I can't... let him die..."

Ruby squeezed her tighter.

"You won't," she said. "You're going to save him, Weiss. In fact... I think you already have."

Ruby held her for a few minutes, until Weiss' pulse and breathing slowed to normal rates once more. Ruby pulled back and wiped her tears away with gentle fingers, then kissed each of Weiss' cheeks. The older girl sighed again, and simply hugged Ruby in response.

"Thank you..."

Ruby nuzzled affectionately into her neck.

"It's okay."

A few more minutes passed before Ruby could distinguish the sounds of rain. Weiss must've heard them too, for she stiffened.

"No..."

Ruby sighed regretfully as she pulled away.

"It doesn't look like we'll be able to ride tonight," she said. "But I think this is for the best. You should get some rest."

Weiss sighed and put a hand to her face.

"But-"

"But we'll just try again tomorrow night," Ruby told her. She curled her fingers around Weiss' wrist and moved her hand away from her pretty face. Ruby kissed the inside of Weiss' palm, then over her scarred eye. "Everything's gonna be fine, Weiss. I can promise you that. I _know_ you won't let anything bad happen to Zuri, not after all we've been through.

"You're not powerless, Weiss. In fact, you're the one with the most power in this situation. You're the _only_ person who can ride him. And you _will_." Ruby kissed her again, then stood. "I'm going to take all the equipment off of those guys. You just stay here and-"

"No." Weiss shook her head and got to her feet. "I'll come with you."

Ruby smiled and took her hand.

They walked the silent hallway portion together before parting at their respective horses' stalls. Weiss apologized to the stallion as she removed his bridle, telling him that maybe tomorrow night they could ride again.

She and Ruby put everything away in the storage room as the rain continued to hiss outside, the light shower turning to pouring water within minutes. The stables shook with thunder, and Ruby visibly jolted. Weiss led her toward the exit to the stables.

"You dunce," she mumbled. "Let me take you back to your cabin."

"N-No, that's okay!" Ruby squeaked pulling against Weiss' hold. "I mean, I-I usually go into the cabin when there's a storm, b-but I usually get there before the thunder starts. It's too late now. I-I can't go out there when it's thundering. I'll just stay in here..." The stablehand was clearly shaken up by the storm, but she did her best to appear collected. "Y-You should go back to the mansion before it gets any worse..."

"And leave you here trembling like a leaf? Nonsense," Weiss huffed. Then, her expression softened kindly. "I don't fancy the thought of running all the way back up there in the pelting rain. I'll stay the night with you again in here," she offered.

Ruby opened her mouth as though trying to protest, but no words came out. Weiss smiled a bit and took both of her hands.

"Come on."

She led Ruby back to the stall, guiding her over to the hay bails. Weiss laid down on her back and patted the space beside her for Ruby. The younger girl complied, but Weiss could tell she was shaking fearfully, especially when the thunder blasted.

Once Ruby had curled herself up, she tried to compose herself a bit.

"Maybe this is better..." she sighed. "Neither of us will have to go out in the rain. And neither of us will be alone."

"Precisely."

Weiss reached out to pet through the girl's hair, and for a moment, Ruby closed her eyes and seemed to relax.

But the next blast of thunder had her gasping again, her hands subconsciously clutched at Weiss' shirt. The older girl located Ruby's red blanket and grabbed it, opening it as best she could before draping it over the girl's back.

"There, now," she murmured. "It's all right." She repeated Ruby's words right back to her. "Everything's going to be okay."

Weiss slipped an arm beneath Ruby, coaxing the girl to rest her head on her chest. Ruby instantly took up the offer and cuddled close to Weiss beneath the blanket. Weiss was rubbing her back with both hands now, murmuring soothing words into her ear and kissing her hair.

Ruby did her best to relax and close her eyes. She could hear Weiss' heartbeat thumping quietly within her chest, a steady, persistent rhythm that remained even when the thunder eventually rolled away.

Ruby was asleep before long, but Weiss couldn't bring herself to rest easily.

She couldn't shake the feeling that all of this rain and thunder felt only like a premonition for an even greater storm to come.

But the exhaustion eventually overwhelmed her more unnerving feelings, and she fell asleep a few hours later, realizing there was nothing more she could do but wait.

* * *

 **A/N: Maybe no progress with the horses this time, but plenty of progress with the secret relationship fluff!**

 **Please review!**


	9. The Darkest Night

**We're drawing near the end so it's about time something big happened, wouldn't you think?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 9. The Darkest Night

When dawn broke, it was Weiss who woke first that morning.

For a moment, she simply listened to the sounds of the stables – the slight shifting about of the horses as they roused themselves, the quiet dripping of raindrops off the rafters into small puddles outside...

And of course, the little snores coming from the girl on her chest.

Weiss lifted a hand and pet through Ruby's hair, wanting to let her rest for just a few more minutes. Ruby always worked so hard, and last night had been rough. Weiss wanted her to have this.

She directed her gaze up to the wooden roof, cobwebs swaying in the slight breeze that entered the stables. The heavy scent of wet grass and soil filled her lungs, mixed with a bit of dust.

Unfortunately, that was what ended up making Weiss sneeze, and consequently, Ruby woke with a surprised snort.

"Huh, wha-?"

"Sorry," Weiss sniffled. "I'd wanted to let you sleep a bit."

"Oh, I slept plenty!" Ruby reassured her. "It's time to get going!" She pushed herself up on her palms, hovering over Weiss for a moment to press a chaste kiss to her lips.

Then she sat up and pulled the white-haired girl up with her. She busied herself for a minute by picking bits of hay out of Weiss' hair, earning a kiss as thanks.

After that, the day went much the same as yesterday had gone.

Weiss helped Ruby in feeding the horses, then they parted ways to shower and begin their routines.

But Weiss found herself to be more anxious than excited all day, as though there was something lodged in her throat that she couldn't displace. She did her best to ignore it, but even seeing Ruby at lunchtime to discuss their final night of training didn't help her much.

But once she saw the stablehand's bright smile, Weiss couldn't help but try to reflect it, and appear as though she were fine.

* * *

Night fell, and Weiss headed down to the stables for the last time.

If all went well tonight, tomorrow she would bring Zuri out into the main corral in broad daylight and show her father what both the stallion and Weiss herself were capable of.

She greeted Ruby with a kiss, discovering the brunette had already put Ebony's bridle and saddle on the mare to waste less time. Weiss only had to slip Zuri's bridle on, and then they were off.

It took a few anxious moments of waiting before Ruby led the mare out into the night, and then signaled for Weiss to do the same. But both girls and horses managed to make it to the path of the old corral undetected.

Once safe, Ruby let out a relieved sigh.

"We made it. This is it, Weiss. Our last night."

"Yes..." Weiss mumbled from beside her.

Ruby was too excited to notice the distracted tone of her voice, and she continued marching on happily.

"But, even though we'll be saving Zuri, I think I'll be a little sad after all this is over. The stable gets kinda lonely at night..."

Weiss managed to spare her a glance, rolling her eyes playfully to try and lighten her own mood.

"Then sleep in your cabin like a normal person, you dunce."

"Eheehee," she laughed sheepishly. "But that's no fun to do _every_ night of the year! Gotta switch it up a bit, y'know? And then switch up the nights alone in the stables, too!"

Weiss caught her drift and gave a brief nod.

"We'll see how everything goes tomorrow," she said. "If my father is impressed and in a good mood about everything, perhaps I'll tell him about _us_."

Ruby squeaked and blushed just at the mention of it.

Until now, she'd thoroughly enjoyed having Weiss all to herself in secrecy, with no one around to witness them but the horses. The prospect of possibly making their relationship known to Weiss' _father_ – and hence the rest of the ranch – both terrified and excited Ruby.

"That'd be weird to get used to.." she mumbled as they continued to lead the horses. "I mean, it'd be kinda nice because we wouldn't always have to hide behind the stables whenever we kissed before lunch. Maybe we could just kiss... all the time! Whenever we wanted! And it wouldn't matter who was around to see it or not!"

The thoughts made both Ruby and Weiss herself blush slightly. The older girl looked briefly to the muddy ground underfoot.

"I suppose... that would be rather nice. Not having to hide it from anyone. Though I'll always enjoy having you to myself."

"Yeah! Me too!" Ruby agreed. "And like, maybe I can even start calling you my girl... friend..." Her voice dropped to a mumble as she finished the foreign word. Weiss sputtered slightly at the sound of it.

"I... yes, I suppose we could call one another that."

From the corner of her eye, she watched as Ruby's face lit up brighter than the stars above.

The younger girl all but pranced the rest of the way to the old corral, opening the gate for Weiss and Zuri before slipping in with Ebony afterward.

"Okay," Ruby grunted as she worked one boot into the stirrup. "Let's do this." Swinging her other leg over the horse's back, she grabbed the reins and held the mare in place, waiting for Weiss to mount as well.

Weiss braced one hand on the stallion's bare back, keeping hold of his bridle with the other as she hauled herself up and over his spine. Once situated, she got a grip on the reins and patted his neck.

"All right," she said, looking to Ruby. "Let's just start with another walk."

They moved their horses side by side, and together, they began lapping the corral, keeping a few feet away from the fence.

Weiss went over all the directional pulls a few times, pulling left to bring the horse right and vice versa. She pulled to stop him and gave a light kick to his flank to get him going.

All in all, he obeyed every command any other horse would. He just didn't like wearing a saddle.

"I can't believe that's all it was," Weiss murmured happily.

But she was also still irked that no one in the entire staff on this ranch had ever thought to consider such a thing. All they'd heard about Zuri were rumors from previous owners, about how unstable he was, about his unpredictable behavior. By the time he'd been transferred here, he'd had such a bad reputation that even Ruby had initially been wary of him.

Weiss hated to think that other peoples' lack of interest in him and fear of him could have gone so far that people would deem him unridable, and thus worth more dead than alive.

She couldn't believe how absurd all of that was. This perfectly good horse was going to be senselessly euthanized because he didn't like to wear a saddle like the others.

Weiss scoffed as the troublesome thoughts filled her mind.

 _Well, that's all in the past now,_ she thought. _It won't happen. After I've shown his progress to my father, we'll surely keep Zuri around. And we'll make news in doing so. Our ranch being his last chance, and then he's saved just a few days before the scheduled euthanization? We'll get quite a good reputation after that news spreads around._

She'd gotten lost in her thoughts and the sway of the horse's body for a moment, and hadn't realized that Ruby and Ebony had paused.

"Hey, Weiss!" she called over to her. The older girl halted and looked back. Ruby was smiling eagerly. "Did you say you wanted to try a gallop?"

Weiss knew her eyes must have lit up at the offer, because Ruby laughed a bit as she waved her over. Once Weiss was close enough, Ruby started giving her tips.

"All right, so to get him galloping, just give him a few extra kicks since we didn't bring crops. Loosen the reins a bit and give him some more control and space to move his head. He'll need to move it around a bit when he runs. And I guess just have him lap the corral since there isn't much space in the middle with that jump there."

Ruby decided to try a gallop out for herself first, and Weiss hung back for a moment as she took off on Ebony. She watched how Ruby maneuvered herself in the saddle, how she kicked lightly and gave the mare some leeway.

The black horse's legs started to kick up mud as she increased her speed into a steady gallop. She passed by Zuri, and the stallion gave a little nicker, seeming eager to join her on the run.

"All right, boy," Weiss patted his neck. "Let's go."

She gave a few kicks to his flanks, then loosened the reins, bit by bit as to not let him burst forward suddenly.

He started at a walk, then Weiss moved him to a trot, until finally he was at a lazy gallop.

Her heart was pounding as she finally experienced what it was like for herself.

The horse's powerful body carried her effortlessly, and she felt positively weightless. After so many years of being tied down by school lessons and business numbers, it was liberating, to say the very least.

It was a bit of a fear-inducing event, to put her full trust into this massive creature, but she wasn't scared.

She loved it.

She loved feeling the wind weaving through her hair after she'd thrown caution to it.

She loved feeling how her body moved with the animal.

They got to a point where neither Weiss nor Zuri were in control. It was almost like a dance, perhaps a bit of a reckless one, but they'd found a chemistry of sorts, a common ground where one would pull just enough, but not too much to restrain the other.

Even long after Ruby and Ebony had pulled aside to watch, Weiss and Zuri didn't stop.

Ruby marveled at the sight of her, falling in love all over again.

Weiss was confident enough on that horse to close her eyes and let him take her forward, trusting him with her life.

In that moment, Ruby knew they'd really done it.

They'd prove it to Weiss' father than this horse could do so much more than earn his keep here.

It was when the white stallion began moving toward the center of the ring when Ruby's smile faded a bit. She hadn't broken the peaceful silence until now, but when she saw what was about to happen, she couldn't help herself.

"Ah, Weiss-"

It was a cautionary shout, and Weiss opened her eyes, tightening her grip on the reins. She looked straight ahead, seeing where the horse was taking her.

He was on a direct course for the broken hurdle at the center of the corral, and he intended to jump.

A beat of fear passed through Weiss' heart – she'd never intended to jump him, not so soon, anyway.

But with the pace he'd set, with the way he was so strongly pulling her forward with him, she couldn't have stopped him even if she'd wanted to.

Not that she wanted to.

Weiss crouched low, keeping hold of the reins as she gave him a bit more control, turning her heels into his sides. He increased speed just a bit, and as they neared, Weiss felt his muscles tense.

She kept herself firmly in place as she felt him kick off the ground, his front legs curling up to clear his hooves over the jump. His back legs followed shortly afterward, and for a split second, nothing was touching the ground.

Weiss held her breath, and a dozen yards away, Ruby did the same.

It would've been so easy for Weiss to slip off without a saddle, and considering how Zuri had never jumped before, it would have been just as easy for one of his legs to bump the bars of the hurdle.

If he stumbled, he could break one or more of his legs, and Weiss could be crushed.

But with the way these two had been galloping, the jump was conquered with ease and elegance.

Mud and dust were kicked up as the stallion landed neatly, running a few more feet before he began to slow down.

Weiss remembered to breathe again as she loosened her hold on the reins. The adrenaline was still pumping through her, blood pounding in her ears. But that didn't stop her from hearing Ruby's little cheers.

"Weiss! That was _amazing!_ That was, like, the _perfect_ jump!"

Weiss chuckled slightly as she turned Zuri around and headed toward her.

"I doubt it was perfect," she said.

"Oh, don't be so modest. It was great!" Ruby clapped.

Weiss ran a hand through her bangs as an excuse not to comment further, and also to conceal her blush. She stopped Zuri near the fence, just a few feet away from Ebony. Ruby gave an accomplished sigh and met Weiss' gaze.

"Well then, I think that's it! That's _way_ more than enough to impress your dad! Wanna head back inside?"

Part of Weiss wanted to ride a bit longer, but she didn't want to bite off more than she could chew.

"Sure."

Ruby began slipping her boots from the stirrups, and Weiss shifted both of her legs to one side, preparing to jump off.

And then it happened.

A long, low howl echoed down from the nearby mountains.

It was loud, and eerie – haunting.

Ruby froze as a chill shot up her spine.

But what she saw next was even more chilling.

The coyote's howl had startled the stallion beside her. With a fearful whinny, he reared up, kicking out his front legs. In the awkward position she'd been in, Weiss had nothing to hold onto, nothing to keep her from slipping off.

"Ah-!"

With a short cry, Weiss was tossed off his back, landing with a hard _thud_ on the ground, mud and dirt spraying up around her.

The horse took off across the corral in a panic.

An agonized moan rose up from Weiss' still form.

Ruby felt her heart stop as she bore witness to it all; it had happened in only a matter of seconds.

" _Weiss!_ "

Ruby desperately scrambled the rest of the way off her horse, jumping down clumsily and hurrying over to the other girl.

"Weiss! Weiss?!"

Ruby dropped to her knees beside her.

Weiss was lying awkwardly on one side, splattered with mud, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. Her chest heaved, weakly and rapidly, her lips struggling to draw air to her lungs.

Panic flared in Ruby's stomach as she reached for Weiss, touching her shoulder.

"W-Weiss-"

" _Ah!_ "

Weiss screamed at the contact, light as it may have been, her body convulsing as pain shot through her. Her breathing only worsened, and tears squeezed out past her closed eyelids.

Ruby whimpered and recoiled from her instantly.

"I-I'm sorry! Weiss, can you hear me? P-Please- oh god..."

She slid a bit closer, moving her knees beneath Weiss' head and shoulders, elevating her torso just a bit. Her hands reached down to lay lightly on Weiss' trembling chest. Ruby was crying so much she could barely see clearly.

"Weiss... Weiss, what is it? Where does it hurt?"

But her only response was another thin cry.

Weiss couldn't breathe properly, that much was clear, and Ruby was terrified that she might have broken ribs - or even worse, a punctured lung. She dropped her head down to Weiss' chest to listen as best she could. There was a pitiful amount of air rushing in an out, and her heart was hammering madly.

Ruby swallowed back her own sobs and focused on Weiss. She was dangerously short on breath, the inhales she was taking in not sufficient enough to fill her lungs before flying back out. But it didn't sound like there was blood or any gurgling, and Ruby took a small grain of solace in that.

"Weiss..."

She lifted her head and looked down at her. Weiss' pure-white skin and hair were streaked with mud and tears.

Ruby could only think of one thing to do for her right now.

She bent down and kissed her, transferring a long breath of air into her lungs. Weiss sputtered, turning her face away to cough a few times, and then Ruby tried again.

She repeated the process for several painstaking minutes, forcing air into Weiss' body until at last her chest didn't heave so desperately. Ruby kissed her again and again, until she herself was breathless and couldn't go on.

But by then, Weiss had calmed down just a bit, inhaling more deeply than before. Gently, Ruby rested her forehead against Weiss' and breathed with her.

"W-Weiss..." she stammered. "Are you... are you okay...? Where does it hurt? Y-You gotta tell me, please..."

She eased back, moving one hand to Weiss' chest and pressing in with featherlight contact. Her collarbone was intact, as was her breastbone. Ruby next ran her fingers over Weiss' ribs, first up the left side of her body, and then the right. Weiss winced a few times, but it wasn't until Ruby touched her arm when she cried out.

"Ahh-!"

Ruby quickly pulled away, curling herself over Weiss and hugging her loosely.

"I-I'm sorry!" she murmured. "So it's your arm... Sorry..."

It was like some cruel joke, a horrible nightmare.

Everything had been going so well.

It had all been too good to be true.

Weiss heaved another breath and managed to open her eyes. They were ridden with agony, but more than that, Ruby could see fear. Her blue eyes asked silent questions.

 _What do we do now? What will happen to him...?_

And Ruby didn't have answers.

"I don't know, Weiss... I don't know..."

More tears fell down onto Weiss' shirt, and Ruby pulled her closer onto her lap.

She didn't know what would happen to Zuri, but she knew she needed to get Weiss help first.

Weiss couldn't speak, and Ruby wanted to bolt to fetch someone. But she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Weiss here alone like this, not with two startled horses still running loose around the corral, and not when she was in such immense pain. But she couldn't lift her either, or else Ruby might hurt her more.

So she could only do one thing.

" _HELP!_ " she screamed. "Someone help!"

She shouted until she couldn't find her voice anymore, and she rested her head on Weiss' chest once again and sobbed.

It was only minutes later when some of the guards arrived, shouting in surprise to find two of the horses out. They rushed to Ruby and Weiss, demanding to know what had happened and why they were out here.

Ruby told them all she could, blubbering and wailing all the while. The first aid squad on the property was notified, and arrived with a stretcher and other supplies within minutes.

Ruby was forced to watch as they took Weiss from her and laid her on the stretcher. The girl was still conscious, writhing in pain and gasping for breath, and they didn't lift her right away. Ruby told them Weiss' arm was broken, but evidently that wasn't all. She listened as one of the medical personnel shouted orders.

"I need an oxygen mask! She's got three fractured ribs and she's _severely_ winded."

Ruby whimpered as she heard the diagnosis, still frozen on her knees in the mud. Someone hurried in with a large bottle of sorts with a tube connected to it. They placed the mask over Weiss' lips and pumped air into her lungs in spurts.

Ruby wiped her tears over and over as she watched the girl's chest rise and fall in slight jolts. A few minutes later, they removed the mask and lifted Weiss up, shouting orders to take her to the first aid ward.

Two other people helped Ruby up, asking if she was injured.

"No..." she whispered. "Just Weiss..."

They helped her walk, taking her back toward the first-aid building as well. The guards grabbed the horses and led them back to the stables.

Ruby limped all the way to the small cabin where they took Weiss and herself into a room. They sat Ruby down on a chair, and she watched as they gave Weiss more oxygen just to be safe.

They cleaned her off, then began wrapping her torso in bandages. They put a cast on her left arm, then changed her into fresh clothes. They connected her good arm to an IV drip, and for a long while, Ruby listened to the beeps that matched Weiss' speeding pulse.

One of the nurses gave Ruby a shirt and pants to change into as well, and the brunette mindlessly slipped into them.

Weiss might've been all right now, but there would be hell to pay, and she knew it.

Once the team had finished tending to Weiss, Ruby moved her chair closer to the little bed. She was surprised to find Weiss was still conscious – just barely. Ruby took her hand and squeezed.

By now, Weiss' pulse had slowed, as the beeping of the machines had indicated, but Ruby could see it in her eyes, too.

Fear.

Ruby crumpled forward onto her bed and sobbed.

" _I'm so sorry_..."

Weiss squeezed her fingers gently.

"It's not your fault..."

"But still..." Ruby gasped. "We were... _so_ close... a-and now..."

She couldn't finish.

Commotion from the doorway had her jolting upright. Weiss' pulse increased again, and all Ruby could do was squeeze her hand as she looked to the door.

A man with grey hair and eyes stood there, clearly having been woken from sleep to be brought here at this hour. Weiss gasped a single word when she saw him.

"Father..."

He stepped into the room and scanned them both, his expression unreadable. His eyes were cold, his voice a low rumble like thunder.

"What happened here?"

Weiss swallowed hard, struggling to find her voice.

"F-Father... I'll... tell you everything honestly," she rasped.

She started telling about how she'd heard him speak of planning to euthanize Zuri.

She told him how she'd been sneaking out at night to meet Ruby.

She told him the real reasons as to why she'd fallen sick a few weeks ago.

"What?" he growled. Weiss winced, and Ruby clung tighter to her hand. "You've been sneaking out _at night_ to _ride_ horses?"

"Yes..." Weiss murmured. "A-At first it was... only grooming and feeding them... b-but then..." She needed to pause and catch her breath.

"Weiss," Ruby begged. "Let me tell him."

"No..." she refused. "I've... got to do it, Ruby. This was my own fault."

"Only because _I_ said I'd help you!"

"But it was my idea... in the first place." Weiss held her gaze sternly for a moment, until Ruby bowed her head in defeat. Weiss looked back to her father and continued. "I... took Zuri out at night... and I rode him, Father."

At her confession, the man snorted.

"You expect me to believe _you_ rode _that_ horse?"

"Yes... because I _did_."

"She did!" Ruby blurted. "She rode him, she galloped with him, and she even cleared a jump! How else do you think _this_ could've happened? This damage could only result from being thrown off a horse, so clearly that proves she was riding him!"

Weiss' father was deathly silent as he absorbed all of this information.

A horrible anxiety filled the room as the girls waited for his response.

When he spoke next, it made their blood run cold.

"Even if you did ride him, he tossed you, did he not? Clearly he is a dangerous animal."

" _No!_ " Weiss gasped, and it was so fervent that she shot up from her bed. She cried out as sharp pains traveled through her left side. Ruby quickly reached out to hold her and press her back down. "No, Father!" Weiss insisted. "He only got startled because of a coyote! Any horse would have done the same! I rode him just fine until then-"

"Enough!" he snapped.

Weiss' breath hitched as she fell silent, her fingers trembling in Ruby's. Her father scornfully looked away.

"I've heard enough. I've _seen_ enough. That animal will be euthanized as planned."

Ruby whimpered quietly, hearing as the IV started to beep more rapidly again.

"N-No..." Weiss croaked. "Father, _please_ -"

"I said _enough_ ," he grunted.

And with that, he turned away and left the room.

Weiss broke down shortly afterward, her body ripped apart by loud sobs.

Ruby dropped her head to Weiss' side and sobbed with her.

They cried themselves to sleep, overridden by the horrible knowledge that they had failed.

* * *

 **A/N: And they were so close...**

 **Please review!**


	10. Running Free

**Everything came crashing down last chapter. Weiss has a broken arm and her father is intent on getting rid of Zuri. Does this mean Ruby will be forced to leave as well?**

 **Just remember I wrote this entire fic long before we knew of Weiss' canon family.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 10. Running Free

When Weiss woke several hours later, the white room was dyed in a pale yellow glow.

Her cheeks were still stained with tear trails, and the soft snoring at her side told her that Ruby was still asleep beside her. When she heard footsteps in the hallway, Weiss pretended to sleep.

Two nurses came in to check the IV drip, and as they went about their work, Weiss overheard their conversation.

"That stablehand girl's still here, huh?"

"Not for long. Mr. Schnee was livid when he heard his daughter was riding horses at night behind his back. And since that girl helped her do it, I'm sure he's going to fire her if he hasn't already."

"And that horse..."

"He's confined to his stall. This whole incident had Mr. Schnee move up the euthanization to tomorrow. He wants that beast gone, and quite frankly so does everybody else."

Weiss tried to control the erratic pulse in her chest, not wanting it to transfer onto the IV and indicate her stress. But the nurses left shortly afterward, still murmuring to one another.

Weiss steeled herself; she'd already formed a plan in her mind, and she needed to act quickly.

Ruby had fallen asleep in a small chair nearby, her head and arms resting on the bed by Weiss' hip. Thankfully, it was at her good side, so Weiss used her right arm to thread fingers through the girl's hair.

"Ruby..." she whispered. "Ruby... I need your help..."

She watched fondly as the stablehand's silver eyes were revealed to the world. Ruby quickly shook her head and sat up straight, her eyes traveling up Weiss' body to her face.

"Weiss!" she cried softly. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"No. Nothing new," she soothed. "But I do need your help."

"Of course. Anything." Ruby stood up. "Should I get you some water or food?"

"No," Weiss murmured. "Not that kind of help."

Slowly, she positioned her right arm so it was at her side, then pushed her palm flat against the mattress and began lifting herself up. Ruby cried out in alarm and swiftly dove forward to wrap an arm around her back.

"Waah, Weiss! What are you doing? You've gotta lie down!"

"Not when my father plans to kill Zuri _tomorrow_."

Ruby swallowed, her eyes growing wide.

"To... tomorrow?"

"Because of what happened... he moved up the date, or so those nurses said."

"That's awful!" Ruby whimpered. "I-I mean, at least if we'd had the few extra days like we originally planned, maybe we could've thought of something-"

"It doesn't matter," Weiss said. "I've already thought of something. And it's our last shot, Ruby."

The brunette didn't miss the implication in her words.

"Our...?"

Weiss closed her eyes for a second and inhaled before continuing.

"My father plans to fire you. And I don't know how much time you'll have left to remain on this ranch before he sends you packing. So I need your help _now_."

Ruby gulped, looking Weiss over again. Dressed as she was in all white robes, her hair down and her left arm confined to a cast across her chest, Weiss appeared frail, weak.

It... wasn't right at all.

Ruby knew she was so much more than that – a girl confined to a bed because her father said she had to be. Just the fact that she had already devised a new plan of action and was intent to go through with it despite her injuries was proof enough of just how determined and courageous Weiss was.

Not even a broken arm and fractured ribs could stop her, and Ruby knew that even if she'd broken every bone in her body Weiss would still be fighting for her cause. Her eyes were flaring with blue fire, and it ignited a similar passion in Ruby when she saw it.

After a moment of pondering, the brunette gave a sigh.

"Even if I didn't help you, I wouldn't be able to stop you, would I?"

Weiss considered the suggestion before shrugging.

"You could try to. But I don't think you'd be able to best me."

"Yeah... I thought so!" With a grin, Ruby leaned forward, wrapping her arm loosely around Weiss' good side in a soft embrace. Weiss savored that moment, breathing in the musky scent of hay and grass.

A moment later, Ruby pulled away, her eyes shining in the same way as Weiss' were.

"All right. So what do you need me to do?"

Her first task was to help Weiss change out of those robes. The clothes they had been wearing last night had been washed and dried and were now clean of mud or grime.

Ruby changed herself first, easily slipping into her usual pants and shirt. Weiss slid her legs over the side of the bed, using her right hand to slide her bare legs into her pants. Ruby helped her with the button, removed Weiss' IV drip, then eased her out of her robe, taking great care with her arm.

Once they were dressed, Ruby slipped a spare hair tie off from her wrist and secured Weiss' hair in a ponytail to keep it out of her way. Ruby stuffed her feet into her boots and tied Weiss' for her as well. After that, Weiss' request was to stand.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked firmly.

Weiss replied with equal sternness.

"I've never been surer, Ruby."

So the stablehand slipped an arm around her back, being mindful of her ribs.

Weiss could walk on her own, but Ruby's presence was simply a means of support.

Naturally, the second they exited the room, several nurses and other medical aids cried out in surprise and ordered them to go back.

"Miss Weiss, your injuries require at _least_ several more days of bed rest," one man said.

Weiss gave him a piercing glare.

"And the results I've strived _weeks_ to obtain require that I act _now_."

"Miss Weiss, we cannot allow you to go outside in your condition." The man reached forward and touched her shoulder.

Immediately, Weiss rounded on him, swiftly enough to cause a slight pain in her ribs.

"Don't touch me," she growled. "If any of you so much as lay a hand on me, I'll thrash about until I've broken something else. Would you like me to tell my father that his medical staff were so rough with me that they broke my other arm?"

Silence fell over the entire room, and even Ruby shivered at the threat. Weiss wasn't playing around.

Ruby took her to the doors, and they weren't intercepted again.

* * *

Outside, the morning was just getting underway. The voices of riding students greeting one another rose up from the corral nearby, and the familiar whinny of energetic horses provided a soundtrack of its own.

Ruby could feel Weiss leading her to where she needed to go, but she asked the question nonetheless.

"Where are we going?"

Weiss didn't even look at her, her gaze dead-set on her destination as she replied.

"The stables."

Ruby had known it all along, but still, hearing the answer made her more than a little uneasy.

No one noticed the pair until they entered the stables. A man and a woman were standing in the middle of the hall, and neither Weiss nor Ruby had to spare a second in wondering which stall they were guarding.

They passed by the other horses until they'd reached the two guards, who were clearly shocked to see them.

"Miss Weiss-"

"Spare me," she snapped. "You can try to restrain me, but I wouldn't recommend it."

She broke away from Ruby's support and limped over toward the stall, brushing past the male guard. She reached for the key to the stall and hooked it around her finger before drawing it close to her. The guard grunted disapprovingly.

"Miss Weiss-"

"If you're going to try and stop me, I can't guarantee I won't slip and fall and cause further damage to my arm. If you'd like to try me, go right ahead."

Her threat was just as vehement as before, and she met both of the guards' gazes fiercely. They shared a look as well, but seemed to sense Weiss' animosity. They stepped away from the stall door as Ruby helped Weiss, taking the key from her and opening the door to let them slip inside.

The guard called in to them in a low voice.

"I'll have to call your father, Miss Weiss."

"Oh, _please_ do," she said curtly.

Ruby could hear as the guard went through with his threat and pulled out a small walkie-talkie, speaking into it to radio his boss.

But Weiss didn't care. She only had eyes for one thing right now.

Zuri was standing against the side of his stall. He still had the bridle from last night over his head. His ears perked up when he recognized Weiss, and he stepped forward to greet her. Weiss lost her threatening aura only for a moment to caress his cheek with her good hand.

"Hello, handsome," she murmured.

Ruby reached out to pet him as well, though her eyes were still trained on Weiss. The display she was putting on now only made Ruby fall for her all over again.

She wasn't afraid to make threats and fight for what she wanted – for what was _right_. She'd stood up to so many figures of authority already this morning, and undoubtedly that wasn't over yet. She'd even endangered her own wellbeing for something she knew was worth fighting for.

And yet, now when that something was staring her in the face, she was so gentle, so calm.

Ruby kept a hand at the small of her back, waiting until Weiss was ready to move again. Those two pools of blue locked with silver, and Weiss gave a nod.

"Let's go, Ruby."

Ruby didn't need to ask where. She took the stallion's reins with one hand, keeping the other on Weiss. Together, the trio made their way to the opened door, where the two guards watched in horror.

"Miss Weiss," the woman said. "We mustn't allow you to take-"

"You've already notified my father, haven't you?" she growled. "If anyone should try and stop me, it should be him. Don't waste my time." She brushed past both guards, never even sparing them so much as a passing glance. When Ruby walked by, she stuck her tongue out at them.

They led Zuri to the exit doors, then stepped outside.

But they weren't bound for the abandoned corral this time.

Instead, they headed straight for the main one, where lines of students and horses were waiting to begin the day's lessons. Surely, news of Weiss' accident the previous night had spread like wildfire, because the second someone spotted her, a shocked murmur surged through the crowds.

"Isn't that-?"

"What's she doing with that horse?"

"What's she doing out of _bed?_ Her arm's broken!"

They all gossiped and twittered like birds, but none of the students approached her. They must've had some sense in them.

The adults were the ones who rushed at Weiss, blocking her path and trying to take the reins from Ruby.

All it took was one vicious snarl from Weiss.

"Out of my way."

She wasn't asking.

With the obstructing adults paralyzed, Weiss and Ruby led the stallion past them.

Ruby opened the gate, and when it was clear they intended to enter, the students inside all moved their horses away to make room. They lined the corral on either side of the gate, dumbfounded as all their eyes went to Weiss and the notorious white stallion.

"She's not going to-"

"But how would she?"

Weiss and Ruby came to a halt, and the whispers died away, inviting silence for only a brief moment. A booming voice broke it just seconds later.

"What is going on here?"

Weiss straightened up and turned around to face her father on the other side of the fence. His eyes met hers sternly, but Ruby was surprised to find more fear than anger there.

"Why are you out of bed?" he demanded. "Why are you _out here_ with that horse?"

Ruby expected the response to be venomous, but Weiss surprised her by using a softer tone.

"Because I need to show you, Father."

Then, she turned her back to him. Her eyes flashed to Ruby and she released a clipped breath.

"I need your help."

Ruby didn't need to ask if Weiss was absolutely sure about this. They'd come this far, a there was no way Weiss was going to stop here. With a nod, Ruby pulled her in for a brief second to kiss her cheek – unashamedly – for all to see.

"You got it."

She could feel Weiss' heartbeat at her back, fast and thick, the realization of what she was about to do finally hitting her. Ruby rubbed her back gently.

"You can do this, Weiss. I know you can. I believe in you."

Her words of encouragement served to be the final push Weiss needed.

"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss kissed her temple. "For everything."

The brunette nodded, then set to work on her final task in all of this. Keeping a firm grip on the reins, she supported Weiss with her other hand.

Weiss braced herself, slinging her good arm up over the horse's back. She hissed in pain as an ache shot up her left side, and Ruby ran a hand through her ponytail.

"Easy," she murmured. "You can do it, Weiss. Take a breath."

With her father shouting at her to stop just a few yards away, it was difficult not to succumb to the anxiety.

But again, Ruby's gentle touched helped Weiss focus on what she truly needed to do.

Weiss gave a small jump, and the second she did so, Ruby boosted her up onto the horse's back. Weiss clung to his mane with her non-dominant hand as she swung her leg over his flank and settled.

Gasps of shock slithered through the crowd, rendering even her father speechless.

"No saddle?!"

"How did she do that?"

"She can _ride_ him?"

Ruby passed the reins up to Weiss, her eyes wishing only the very best for her. Then, Ruby stepped away.

"Go show 'em, Weiss. Show 'em what you can do."

Weiss looked down at her and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, Ruby."

Once the brunette had moved to the side of the fence, where the other horses and riding students still stood rooted to the soil, another wave of silence fell over the entire ranch. Even Weiss' father had stopped shouting.

All eyes were on Weiss.

She took a deep breath, one that made her ribs ache, but she ignored it. She only had one arm to use, only one hand to hold the reins with, and it wasn't her dominant one. But she trusted this horse with her life.

"Come on, boy," she murmured. "Let's go."

She gave a light kick to his flank, just as she'd practiced.

In response to her signal, Zuri began to walk forward. He passed before all the other horses, rendering every human speechless.

This corral was much more spacious than the old one, and it was only a moment before Weiss brought the stallion to a gallop.

That familiar rush of air hit her face, making her hair whip out behind her, her heart pounding in time with the hooves beneath her. The movement of his body sent little shockwaves into hers, but the pain in her side and in her arm was bearable if it meant she'd get to prove her point.

She angled the reins, turning him, directing him toward the center. There was a jump two dozen yards away from them, and it must have been at least half a foot higher than the one they'd cleared last night.

But Zuri seemed as intent to show off as she did.

Weiss gave him the necessary leeway, and he headed for the hurdle.

It felt as though everyone present and watching wanted to scream, but no one dared to.

Ruby clutched her hands together as the horse neared the jump, wanting to both watch and close her eyes. She settled for closing only one, but kept the other one on Weiss.

The stallion leapt, and Weiss held her breath, once more suspended in midair with nothing to anchor her down. She didn't think anyone breathed in those few seconds.

But gravity soon took them back down, and Zuri landed flawlessly, continuing in a trot for a moment longer before Weiss slowed him to a halt.

There was a beat of silence as she straightened up, then surveyed her audience.

Then, the air erupted in cheers and applause.

"Oh my god! Did you _see_ that?"

"She rode Zuri!"

"I've never seen a horse clear that jump so neatly!"

"What the heck? _I_ can't even do that and neither of _my_ arms are broken!"

Weiss' gaze traveled to Ruby who was jumping up and down, clapping and squealing excitedly. Weiss smiled down at her.

But ultimately, her gaze went to one man in particular.

She brought Zuri to a stop on the other side of the fence right near where he stood.

"Father..." she said as the voices died down. "I'm sorry I disobeyed you. I'm sorry I snuck out. But I needed to let you see for yourself what he can do."

She couldn't read his expression, and for a long moment, he didn't move.

Weiss stiffened when he finally moved his feet, pushing through the crowds of people outside the fence to get to the gates. He entered the corral, stopping at the white horse's flank.

Weiss gasped as she looked down at her father.

He was crying.

"Come here..." He opened his arms and reached up for her.

Carefully, Weiss let go of the reins and slipped down into his arms. He caught her, absorbing the shock from her fall as to not hurt her arm any more. Weiss was still as he pulled her in and listened to his voice, thick with emotion.

"Never in a million years did I think that horse could be ridden," he muttered. "And yet, you came out here in the middle of the night and did what no one else could. I was so angry that you'd gotten hurt. I was so rash in deciding to have him put down. If not for what you just did, I would have gone through with it."

Weiss felt her heart lift hopefully.

"So... you won't...?"

He pulled away, looked down at her, and smiled.

"I'll cancel the appointment immediately."

Weiss put her good hand to her mouth and sobbed in relief.

"Thank you, Father. _Thank you._.."

Ruby had slipped her way through the crowds by now to stand nearby, and she squealed out loud at the news. Her voice had Weiss' father turning around to look at her.

"And you, young lady."

Ruby jumped and straightened her back.

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"You helped my daughter with those nighttime lessons?"

"I-I uh-"

"She did," Weiss answered. "But everything was my idea. Ruby was only helping me with my selfish request. She's the one who taught me how to approach a horse in the first place. Without her help, I never would have been able to touch him, let alone ride him."

"I see..." He cast his gaze around the corral, at all the crowds of people who were still chattering excitedly, taking pictures with their phones and making calls. "Then with all the excitement this has caused this morning, I can't see how I could ever fire you."

Ruby put both hands to her mouth and whimpered in relief.

"Oh, thank you sir, thank you so much!"

"Do not thank me," he said. "Thank my daughter." He met Weiss' eyes again, and she felt she might cry as well. "She has taught us so much today. She has demonstrated great courage and perseverance, going so far as to endanger her health all just to show the world that this horse wasn't better off dead. She has saved an innocent life, and I couldn't be prouder."

That was the word that unlocked Weiss' tears. Finally, her father was proud of her.

She bowed her head and cried, but not a second later, Ruby was at her side, patting her back gently.

"Chin up, Weiss," her father said. "You're the only one who can ride him, that much is clear. So I'll have to arrange lessons for you."

Weiss looked up, her vision hazy past the tears.

"Father..."

This was all she'd ever wanted. Just this.

Her father smiled, then turned away to address the crowds. He ordered the euthanization to be called off at once, then encouraged the students to share the videos and photographs of what they'd just witnessed here with everyone they knew. He intended to let the world know what his youngest daughter had accomplished here today.

Cheers went up all around Weiss and Ruby as the two girls dried one another's tears. Zuri trotted up behind Weiss and nipped at her ponytail. She laughed and turned around to swing her arm around his head.

A moment later, Ruby spun her back around and kissed her on the lips. A few squeals went up from around them, and she chuckled into Weiss' mouth.

"You did it," she murmured. "You did it, Weiss."

Weiss kissed back, then pressed their cheeks together.

"No. _We_ did it, Ruby."

The lessons were temporarily cancelled for the morning as people went up to Weiss to speak to her. Winter had pushed her way through the crowds to hug her younger sister and praise her to no end.

A few of the maids brought Weiss and Ruby some food and water, and they ate outside beside their future riding classmates.

They let their horses roam freely in the corral as they all spoke, snapping pictures on their phones all the while. Weiss leaned into Ruby and sighed, the smile never having left her lips for over an hour now. Ruby hugged her waist, beaming brightly.

"From here on out, you'll be living your dream, Weiss."

"I will," she agreed. "And it will be even better than I imagined."

"Why's that?"

Weiss bumped her cheek affectionately into Ruby's.

"Because I'll have you there beside me, you dolt."

"Oh~!"

Ruby blushed, and Weiss kissed her again.

At last, the shackles were lifted, the chains that had once held them down now dissolved in the face of pure hearts. It felt like the gates that had once held them in had been opened, like after so many years of breathing stagnant air, they could finally feel the wind.

They were free. Their dreams were laid out before them.

From here, it was just a matter of running out to catch them.

* * *

 **A/N: I'd planned for this to be a cliche happy ending from the start. It's just a bit odd now that we know of Weiss' canon family and their personalities (though I'm glad I didn't know of Whitley to include him in this fic haha. I wrote this so long ago, I had assumed Winter was the younger sister, and had to make a few changes about that in the story itself).**

 **There's an epilogue left! Stay tuned!**

 **Please review!**


	11. Epilogue - A New Day

**Just a quick epilogue to wrap everything up!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Epilogue. A New Day

News of what had happened on Schnee's ranch spread all around town.

The videos and photographs that riding students had taken were now on half the phones in the town, and just as many computer screens. There were headlines in the paper as well: **Schnee's daughter saves horse from death by riding with broken arm**.

A small crowd of news reporters and similar companies paid visits in the following days, interviewing Weiss and her father. Weiss told of the secret lessons she'd practiced during, and stressed how important it was not to give up on something just because everyone else had.

After being the stallion's final stop before euthanization, Schnee's ranch was praised for being the place to save him. Business flourished, as there was an influx of students wanting to ride and take lessons there now. Visitors stopped by to see the miracle stallion and take pictures.

The ordeal ended up being one of the best things to happen to the business since Weiss' father had inherited it.

As for Weiss herself, she no longer snuck out to hold night lessons with Ruby.

She was confined to bed-rest and a small amount of tutoring lessons until her arm and ribs were fully healed a few weeks later. During that time, she would go outside at lunchtime and watch the horses and their riders, of course with Ruby glued to her side. Their relationship became known, but they weren't timid about it – rather, they were more than willing to flaunt it.

After Weiss' cast was removed and she was officially pronounced to be healed, she and Ruby had a private discussion with Weiss' father.

Weiss told him her dream, how she'd gone through all of this not only to spare Zuri a senseless death, but also because she wanted to ride horses, not sit behind a desk and do paperwork.

He listened to her suggestion of switching hers and Winter's roles, since her older sister wasn't all that thrilled about riding and would be much more suited for Weiss' previous line of work.

He discussed the suggestion with Winter as well, who ended up eagerly accepting, declaring she just wasn't cut out for riding. He approved Weiss' desire to practice riding, and declared she would begin lessons the following week.

In addition, he praised Ruby for her work in assisting Weiss to ride, despite never having ridden before herself until just a few weeks ago.

He permitted her two hours off from her usual stablehand work per day to use as she pleased.

So naturally, Ruby used that time to saddle up, and follow Weiss out into the corral...

* * *

There was a warm breeze on the air, accompanied by the sounds of galloping hooves.

Weiss steered Zuri toward the line of jumps that had been set up for the lessons that day, controlling her grip on the reins. She could hear Ruby cheering for her from behind and imagined her jumping up and down in Ebony's saddle to clap.

Weiss increased the horse's speed until he neared the jump, and then it was all up to him. He cleared the first jump, then the second, and at last the highest third.

Weiss bounced on his back as he hit solid ground again, then slowed him down and brought him back around to the waiting crowd.

"Very good!" the instructor praised. "This is how it's done, everyone. If you ever intend to ride bareback, you've got to take lessons from Miss Schnee herself!"

Ruby met Weiss as she returned to the gathered line of horses and riders. They were given a ten minute leisure break, so the two girls decided to walk their horses around the corral, side by side.

Of course, Ruby spent her free time praising Weiss.

"Your jumps were awesome as ever, Weiss! You're like, professional, I think!"

"You flatter me."

"No, really! Those guys on TV almost always hit a bar or something, but you've never hit one _once!_ "

"That's hardly my doing. It's all Zuri's work." She reached forward to pat his neck.

"Mm, yeah. But he never would've been able to do it without such a great rider to work with!"

Weiss couldn't find the words to refute that statement, so she simply sighed.

"Dunce."

They continued to walk their horses, until they'd broken away from the main crowd. Ruby and Weiss enjoyed the warm summer breeze as it pulled through their hair after passing through their respective horse's manes.

A moment of silence passed between them, and they came to a unanimous halt.

"I still can't believe it," Ruby mumbled. "How we did all those crazy things. How it really worked out in the end. You saved Zuri, you switched work with your sister, _and_ you taught so many people a super important lesson." Ruby turned a bit in her saddle, her lips a smile and her eyes sparkling pools of silver. "I know I've said it before... but you're really incredible, Weiss."

"And I know _I've_ said it before, but it's all thanks to you, Ruby."

A shy giggle, and Ruby hid her face.

The two girls dismounted, letting their horses wander freely as they themselves headed for the gates. Ruby scurried to catch up to her girlfriend.

"Hey, Weiss~" She grasped her wrist and pulled the white-haired girl back a step.

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Mm, nothin'. I just wanted a kiss."

Weiss couldn't help but smile.

"Than who am I to deny you such a thing?"

Her hands found their way around Ruby's shoulders, and the brunette pressed her palms onto either side of Weiss' waist.

First their noses brushed, and then lips found lips, trapping a warm breath of air between them. It was a relief to finally be able to do this with nothing left to worry about.

They parted, resting their foreheads together and releasing blissful sighs. Then, Ruby wrapped Weiss in a soft embrace, held it for a moment, and pulled back.

"So, you wanna grab some lunch?"

Weiss leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"I'd love to."

Hand-in-hand, they walked out of the corral, and a soft whinny carried on the warm breeze behind them.

* * *

 **A/N: With this, my Equestrian AU is complete! Thanks for reading, everyone!**

 **Please review!**


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